Together Again

“Are we gonna tell them when they get home from school? Or do you wanna wait a while longer?”

Even a couple hours after Magick had come to check on him, something she’d always done when she knew he was sick, Ash was still laying in bed. While his lover had stayed there with him, just cuddling and whispering nonsense to soothe him, he’d eventually gotten up. Now he was sitting at his desk, his laptop open behind him since he’d turned around to face him while talking to him.

“I was honestly hoping I could wait a while longer, but I know how they are,” he answered, sighing. “You saw the concern in Magick’s eyes; if you think she’s bad right now, just wait till Legacy starts showing her concern.”

“They’re both pretty intuitive; I’ll give them that,” Andy chuckled.

“They’ve never liked when I wasn’t feeling good.” He smiled at the fond memories of his first pregnancy. “Even before they were born.”

“Seriously?” the younger man asked curiously.

“Seriously. If I had a headache, or they hurt me by kicking my ribs too hard, they’d lay still and hardly move for several hours,” Ash answered, nodding. “Sometimes it worried me because they were always so active, and it made me think I was gonna have a stillbirth till I managed to get ’em to move again.”

“Wow,” his lover breathed, his eyes wide with surprise. “And I guess it’s safe to assume that that behavior carried over after birth.”

“Oh, definitely,” he chuckled. “With the exception of when they were newborns, they’d always be quiet and calm when I didn’t feel good. Once they were old enough to turn the tables on me, they’d do everything they could to help me feel better.”

“Kinda like I would’ve, if you hadn’t run off,” Andy sighed. “I never liked seeing you feel bad, either.”

The older man couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face as he looked at him, his eyes filled with the love that he hadn’t expressed, even when they were younger.

“You’ve always been too beautiful to pout, and yes, you pout when you don’t feel good,” he chuckled.

“Well, dare I ask if you’ve told the guys yet?”

“Not yet. I was hoping you’d get to come out there to LA with me when I did, but I don’t exactly want you on a plane if you’re this nauseous,” the younger man answered, shaking his head.

“There’s only so long we can wait, if that’s gonna happen,” Ash told him. “Once I reach a certain point in my pregnancy, it’ll be too dangerous to fly.”

“I’m guessing your doctor told you that?”

“Back when I was pregnant with Legacy and Magick. Actually, before we ever flew here to Tennessee.”

“Kinda makes me wonder why, but I’d rather not endanger any of you guys.” His lover moved to the edge of the bed and gently caressed his belly.

“I think it has something to do with the change in pressure. I mean, if the pressure changes naturally in the cabin of a plane, I’d say it’s a safe bet that it can change in the womb, too,” the older man said thoughtfully. “I’d also guess that that pressure change can cause preterm labor.”

“That makes sense,” Andy agreed with a nod. “And the last thing I want is for you to go into labor, much less deliver, on my plane. Or a commercial jet, for that matter.”

“That also means that if I’m gonna move back out to LA, it’s gonna have to be before I reach that point,” he told him sadly. “Either that, or wait till after the babies get here.”

His lover looked thoughtful as he continued caressing his belly, then smiled. “I know that, legally, I’m not the girls’ father since you said you never listed me on their birth certificate, and you don’t wanna move in the middle of the school year…”

Wondering what he was thinking since he could see the wheels in his head turning, Ash laid there quietly and listened.

“However, the idea I’ve got might work. What if we were to pack up as much of the little stuff—like random décor and clothes that won’t be used when it starts getting warmer—and put them on my plane if and when you fly back out to LA?” he suggested. “Then you can go on and fly out there while it’s still safe, that way we don’t have to wait till after these little ones get here.”

“But what about our furniture? Our cars? Even if the girls agreed to part with their Camero, I refuse to part with Mystic,” he said.

“I haven’t gotten to that part yet,” the younger man chuckled. “I’d pay for a U-haul or something myself to get the big stuff like that out there. If you don’t trust me to drive Mystic—the Mustang I saw out front, I’m assuming—the girls could drive it and their car out to LA while I drove the U-haul myself.”

He looked thoughtful as he considered it.

“The little stuff could go within the next couple months, and I could get the guys to help you get it to my house from the airport for the time being, while the rest of the move wouldn’t happen till school let out for the summer.”

“But what about the girls? I know they’re a little over a year shy of being grown, but they’re minors; they can’t be left out here by themselves.”

It was a valid concern, and Andy understood what he meant. “That’s why I’d be willing to stay out here with them. Yeah, it’d be hard still being separated from you, but at least the girls wouldn’t be alone, and you’d already be out in LA before it was too dangerous for you to fly without waiting till it’s safe again.”

There was no doubt in Ash’s mind that he trusted him; the younger man hadn’t been his best friend all those years ago for nothing, after all. Aside from his grandparents—maybe even Chris and Amy—there was no one he trusted more to look after Legacy and Magick in his absence.

Quite frankly, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that his lover’s plan was one with merit and definitely worth considering. If he flew out to LA within the next month or so, he’d get there well before he hit the cut-off point for flying during pregnancy. If he wanted to find their own place instead of living with Andy till they decided that was right for them, he’d have the freedom to do just that. He doubted he’d do that because he loved the younger man so much, but it was still a possibility.

Additionally, if he took some of the small stuff with him, that would be less for the others to have to move out there later this summer. Not only that, but it would clear out the things they weren’t using and give him a chance to go through everyone’s clothes to throw out what they didn’t wear or didn’t fit anymore. It would also give him a chance to throw out old knick-knacks that weren’t doing anything but collecting dust, too.

He couldn’t help but smile, thinking that it’d probably be their best option for moving out to the West Coast with this unforeseen complication cropping up. Ash knew that his lover was right about this working out for the best since they wouldn’t have to wait till after he delivered to put their plans in motion. Granted, he’d miss his daughters while they remained here in Tennessee to finish out the school year, but he meant what he’d said: he wasn’t forcing them to move till after school ended. It’d be hard enough starting a new year in a new school; starting at a new school in the middle of the year would be even harder.

With a grin as wide as Texas, Andy leaned in and gave him a kiss when he told him that, for the moment, he was willing to consider it. He wasn’t stupid enough to shoot it down altogether, but he needed time to think about it, to decide if it was what he really wanted to do, and that was understandable. If there was one thing the younger man had been, and probably still was, it was understanding, so he doubted he’d argue. Thankfully, he didn’t make asses out of them both by assuming that he was right, which brought a grin of his own to his face. Sadly, that grin didn’t last for long as yet another new wave of nausea rolled through him, making his eyes widen before he bolted for the bathroom. To him, it was definitely the worst part of pregnancy, by far.

Concerned about his sweetheart since he’d never seen him move that fast, the younger man was hot on his heels. Kneeling by his side in front of the toilet, he held his hair back as best he could while rubbing his back, all while whispering soothing, loving words in his ear. It wasn’t long until he leaned back against him, panting as he caught his breath. Ash hated seeming like such an invalid, much like he had during his first pregnancy, but his lover kissed his temple and assured him that he was no such thing. He didn’t mind taking care of him because it was partly his fault he was even in this mess. The younger man was definitely right about that, and it made him feel a bit better.

“Mmmph…I’m sooo hungry,” he whined softly.

“Did your doctor say there was anything like Pepto that was safe to take during pregnancy so you can eat?” Andy asked, both curious and concerned.

“If she did, it was years ago,” the older man answered. “Then again, anything that was around when I was pregnant with the girls may not be around anymore, or may’ve been deemed unsafe for use during pregnancy since then.”

“Do you wanna call her and find out?” he asked, gently rocking him.

“I’ll call her and see if she can take a few minutes to see me. She might have to prescribe something, and she’ll wanna do a quick exam before she does,” Ash told him.

“I can call her for you,” his lover offered. “That way you don’t have to rush to get dressed, unless you just wanna go in your pajamas.”

“Just let her know you’re calling on my behalf so she doesn’t think it’s a scam,” the older man said. “And if she asks to confirm it with me, just put the phone on speaker.”

“That’s fine with me,” Andy agreed, nodding.

He handed over his phone after pulling up the number he’d saved as a contact, which was actually the OB/GYN’s personal cell number. She rarely gave it out to her patients, but with his case always being a special one, even when he wasn’t pregnant, she’d made an exception for him.

“Well, hello there, Ashley,” a feminine voice greeted.

“Is this Dr. Davis?” the younger man asked, standing outside on the back deck.

“This is she. May I ask who’s calling from the phone of one of my patients?” the woman countered curiously.

“My name is Andy Biersack; I’m calling on Ashley’s behalf,” he answered. “I had a quick question, but he said you might decide you wanna see him and do a quick exam.”

“Sure, shoot,” Dr. Davis agreed.

“I dunno how bad it was during his first pregnancy because we weren’t in contact back then, but his morning sickness seems to be pretty bad,” Andy explained.

“So he’s told you about his pregnancy?” she asked.

“Of course. Considering that I’m the father this time like I was last time, I’d be pretty upset if he didn’t since we finally managed to reconnect,” he answered.

“Makes sense. So how bad would you say it is, Mr. Biersack?”

“I’m guessing borderline getting him admitted to a hospital for treatment.” He couldn’t help but bite his lip for a moment. “I’m a musician by trade, not a doctor, so I’m not the best judge. But I’m not stupid; I know losing everything, and I mean everything, he tries to eat isn’t normal.”

“No, it’s not normal. Sure, morning sickness can be set off by various things, including red meat. It can also vary from person to person, even pregnancy to pregnancy,” the OB/GYN informed him. “However, it’s not normal or safe to lose everything one tries to keep down. How long has that been going on, by the way?”

“I’m guessing all day yesterday, but I got here around nine last night,” he answered. “I can’t say for sure how bad it was before I got here, but I can safely say it’s been pretty bad since I got here.”

“Bring him on in to my office so I can evaluate him. There might be something over-the-counter that he can try, but it’s sounding like I’ll need to prescribe him something,” Dr. Davis told him.

“Do you need to talk to him before I hang up?” Andy asked.

“Nah. Just let him know I’ll be waiting up front for you guys since this is technically an emergency appointment,” she answered.

“Will do, Dr. Davis,” he agreed, then promptly ended the call and headed back inside.

Ash was delighted to know his doctor could see him on such short notice, knowing that it could mean the difference between being healthy and being malnourished. If it were just him, yeah, he’d be a bit upset and work hard to reverse it, but he had precious cargo on board, as it were. He couldn’t allow himself to put them in any kind of danger, and it was better to have his morning sickness tamed as early as possible.

Once he was ready to go, which meant being dressed in easily-removable clothes, he allowed his lover to pick him up and carry him to the car. Granted, he had to trade key rings so the younger man could run back up and lock the front door while he started his rental car, but that was fine by him.

Climbing into the car, Andy told him that he’d left a note on the kitchen table for the girls, just in case they got back before they did. He wasn’t sure how long this doctor’s visit would take, nor any errands they might have to run afterward. The older man smiled and gave him a quick kiss, thanking him for thinking ahead since he tried not to text their daughters when he knew they were at school. His lover just returned the smile and told him he didn’t have to thank him, then they were off to see his OB/GYN.

Notes