Fake Fan Fiction ❯ The Unexpected II ❯ Going 'Round the Bend ( Chapter 8 )

Title: The Unexpected II

Chapter 8

Rating: R

Fandom: FAKE
Pairings: Ryo/Dee (mostly), some Dee/Ryo

Warnings: Yaoi, Male/male, MPREG, AU If you don't like, don't read!

Disclaimer: FAKE is not mine. We have Sanami Matoh for giving us Dee, Ryo and the rest of the 27th precinct characters. Any OCs appearing in this fic are mine.

 

### ### ###

 

Ryo was at Central Booking in Manhattan, with a long wait in front of him before Cameron Jensen would be booked for assault and attempted murder of his wife. Ryo had toyed with the idea of taking a quick break to call and check in on Dee. It was close to the end of first shift. Ted and Marty would be leaving soon, leaving Dee on his own at the station until Drake and JJ returned from their scene. He knew Dee hated to be alone and hoped with a call, he might cheer his fiancé up some.

 

That's when he noticed Marty and Ted enter, and upon seeing Ryo, started to make their way over to him. Ryo felt a knot tie in his stomach. He quickly met up with them, to hear them say Dee was rushed to the hospital. As if it was all coordinated for Ted and Marty's arrival, Ryo found out from a clerk that he was relieved from the booking process, and the housing detective who assisted with the arrest would take over as the arresting officer. Ted and Marty were to stay in Ryo's place as the 27th's representative, since they were familiar with the case. Ryo was to give his statements, along with his report at another time. Outside, he found a radio patrol car from the 27th waiting for him to give him a quick ride to the hospital with Ferguson as his driver.

 

Ryo was out of the squad car before it came to a full stop at the entrance to N.Y. East hospital. As hospital security went to stop the what looked to be a madman making his way into the hospital, Ferguson called out, “That's Detective MacLean, here for Dee Laytner.”

 

A nurse appeared. “Oh yes. Right this way, Detective.”

 

“How is he?” Ryo demanded, as he walked along with the nurse. Their stride was quick, but not fast enough for Ryo. He wanted to be with Dee now.

 

“I don't know, to be honest. I was only informed to bring you to the treatment room,” the nurse replied.

 

As they walked through the hall, Ryo noticed a familiar face that before in the past caused him some amusement, but was an unwelcome sight for him at the moment. He glared at Nurse Emiry as they passed her, as if it was her fault Dee was taken to the hospital.

 

“Was his MOP notified?” Ryo asked.

 

The nurse nodded. “Yes, Doctor Siworski arrived not long after we called him.”

 

“Thank goodness,” Ryo mumbled, finding some comfort in having Dee's personal MOP there.

 

They rounded a corner and Ryo noticed the Commissioner standing outside a room. Unable to stay in pace with the nurse, Ryo broke out into a sprint and skidded to a stop in front of the Commissioner. He started to make for the door, when Rose grabbed him by his arm. “Hang on, Ryo. You'll only be in the way right now.”

 

“I need to see him,” Ryo insisted, trying to pull away from Rose. “How is he? What about the baby?”

 

“They're both fine, last update I got. Dee's doctor is in there with him. Siworski is working with the attending doctor who saw Dee at his admittance in determining what caused the collapse,” Rose explained.

 

Ryo drew a shuddering breath. “They're really okay?” he asked.

 

“Yes, Ryo. Both Dee and the baby. Now let the professionals do their jobs to make sure they both stay that way,” Rose said.

 

Ryo sagged against the wall. Rose held out the paper coffee cup he held. “I figured you'd be needing this by now.”

 

Ryo gratefully took the cup with shaking hands, and had a sip. “Oh God. When Ted said Dee collapsed on him and that's all he knew….” He covered his face with his free hand. “I had never been so scared.” He looked up at the Commissioner. “Thank you, sir. For making sure Dee was taken care of quickly, and for pulling strings to bring me here.”

 

“I knew you would have had a collapse yourself if you were kept in the dark about this until after Jensen was booked. Excellent job on that, by the way. My job is to make sure the three of you survive this in one piece, Ryo.”

 

“Yeah… well, thanks anyway.” Ryo had a longer drink of the coffee.

 

He heard the door to the room open and he looked up anxiously.

 

“Ryo,” Vince greeted. “Dee's fine. The baby is fine. Yes, you can see him now,” the doctor continued in his way of getting to the point, and answering questions he knew Ryo would have before they could leave the detective's mouth. “He's a little worn and will be for another day or two.”

 

“What happened?” Ryo demanded.

 

“We have a general idea, but we're still wanting to do more tests. What we do know is that they're both fine now.” Vince moved out of the way of the door to allow Ryo to enter.

 

Ryo walked into the room, clenching his coffee cup, his eyes settling on Dee in the bed. Dee looked as pale as Ryo had ever seen him. IVs and monitoring devices were hooked up to Dee.

 

Dee opened his eyes and gave Ryo a weak smile. “Hey, is that for me?” he joked, his voice barely above a whisper.

 

“I doubt it, since it's nothing you have no business drinking,” Ryo said, going over to the side of the bed. Carefully he leaned over to kiss Dee's forehead, handing the coffee to Vince. “How are you feeling, baby?” He gently rested a hand on the small bump under the sheet.

 

“We're both okay,” Dee said, his voice still low. “I'm sorry, baby.”

 

“For what?” Ryo asked.

 

“For scaring you.”

 

“Hey, don't worry about me. You just worry about getting well, baby. We still have a wedding you need to be at.”

 

Dee smiled. “Yeah. I do, huh?” His eyelids fluttered a little, before he opened them again. “I'm also sorry about one more thing.”

 

Ryo took the hand close to him and carefully entwined their fingers without disrupting the IVs on the arm. He kissed Dee's forehead again. “I told you. Nothing to be sorry about.”

 

“Yeah, but… We had our first ultrasound not long ago.”

 

“It's okay, Dee,” Ryo assured Dee. “It had to be done to make sure the baby was okay, right?”

 

Dee nodded.

 

“You're tired, love.”

 

Vince shook his head. “It's okay for him to start getting some healing sleep, but once he heard you were on the way, the stubborn bastard has been fighting to stay awake. You didn't miss much, Ryo. I really wouldn't count this as a full ultrasound anyway. We couldn't make out much of the more interesting features you'd both be interested in seeing.”

 

“Show him anyway,” Dee said, his eyes on Vince.

 

“Only if you finally get some rest until we get a room to shove you in overnight,” Vince replied.

 

“Show me what?” Ryo asked.

 

“The one sweet thing that came of this,” Dee replied with a gentle smile. “And yes, Doctor. I'll get some rest. I don't think I have much of a choice in a few. So hurry it up.”

 

“So demanding,” Vince remarked. He went over to a stand and picked up a piece of photo paper. Holding it out to Ryo, he said, “It doesn't look like much, but that little fuzzy dark blotch over there is your son or daughter.”

 

Ryo's eyes went wide as he stared at the black and white image before him. Against a murky dark grayish background was what Vince described - a fuzzy dark blotch, but in the photo it did not seem so little. It took up most of the photo.

 

“The best angle we could find happens to be because the little one is hogging up that corner,” Vince chuckled.

 

Carefully, Ryo took the offered picture from Vince and rested gingerly on the edge of the bed, feeling a need to sit down before his knees gave out.

 

Ryo's eyes finally strayed from the photo to Dee, sweeping down to the bump, then back up again to Dee's face. He smiled. “It looks just like you,” he joked.

 

Dee laughed weakly. “I knew you would say that. But I definitely see some of you in there too.”

 

“Hm? You know, you're right. So do I. I see our baby. Oh my God, Dee….” Ryo was speechless, overwhelmed with staring at the tangible proof of their baby.

 

Dee's hand covered Ryo's. “I know. I felt the same way when I first saw it.”

 

“As you might have noticed, it's a little hard for us to pin down a sex right now,” Vince said. “I didn't expect much more, especially with this one's thick skin. It seems to include the uterine sac. Hopefully after week 20, we might be able to make out more. I know I was right holding off on ordering the general ultrasound until after then. We'll take it as it comes during the next two monthly visits. But you have this until then.”

 

Ryo worked his mouth a few times before he got sound out of it. “And the baby's okay?”

 

“From all indications, the little one seems fine. Good strong heartbeat, and we even picked up some movement. In a few more weeks, Dee will be picking up those movements.”

 

“Thank God,” Ryo whispered. He kissed Dee's forehead again. “I want you to get some sleep now. Okay?”

 

Dee nodded slightly, his eyes closing. “'Kay.”

 

“I love you, Dee. Oh God, do I love you.”

 

A soft smile curved Dee's lips. “Love you, too.”

 

Ryo played with stray strands of Dee's hair, pushing them off his face in a way that Dee found tranquilizing. Less than a minute later, Dee was asleep. The monitors Dee was hooked up to assured them it was only sleep.

 

Vince motioned Ryo to follow him out the door, stopping by the attending doctor.

 

Low, the other doctor said, “We'll prepare him, so when we get the call a room is ready, we can take him right up.”

 

Vince nodded. “Good. I'm going to stick around for a while, if you don't mind.”

 

“I see no problem. He is your patient,” the doctor said. “Thank goodness. He's a stubborn one.”

 

Vince snorted. “If he wasn't, then I'd have been really worrying about something being seriously wrong.” Vince winked at Ryo. “Come along, Ryo and I'll fill you in.”

 

The moment they were on the other side of the closed door, Vince started to explain, “I want him to stay overnight for further tests and observations. Which is just as well, because he's going to be weak as a kitten for another day. I see no reason not to release him tomorrow, if all the tests come out fine. But he'll still have to take a few days bed rest.”

 

Ryo nodded. “So what brought this on?”

 

“Dizziness was the culprit,” Vince replied. “From what I heard, he came to in the ambulance to throw up, and went out again. There's nothing seriously wrong with Dee or the baby. I can see from tests so far is that he's been under a great deal of stress. He also has a major iron deficiency, most probably aggravated by the stress.”

 

Ryo slumped against the wall again. “Well, yeah,” he said guiltily. “He has been under a lot of stress and pressure lately. That Carrier case is wiping Dee out and there's really not much to do about it, except catching the bastard.”

 

“I hope you do. I don't want another visit from you two like earlier this week, please. I'm afraid you're right about that. I got Dee to talk a little about his feelings of being trapped in the office while you go out to do your job, being left alone in the office with everyone out, needing to be guarded when he's outside. His biggest stress point is admitting he's afraid and wants the escorts.”

 

Ryo looked over to Vince. “I didn't think he'd admit that so easily to anyone,” Ryo said.

 

“You know, of course,” Vince commented, not as a question.

 

“Yes,” Ryo replied. “He told me not long ago. It kills him to agree so quickly to stay put. His detective instincts are screaming to do what he's trained for, but protection of the baby is overriding everything else. I didn't think it would be a serious area of stress in itself.”

 

He heard Rose sigh heavily from across the hall. When Ryo looked over to him in question, the Commissioner explained, “At least he isn't that much like Tyler. Dee knows when he has to pull out of the action, and when he needs help. But I feared it would still have repercussions. Dee isn't a man to take life sitting down. There's a reason why he loves being a detective, yet tries to avoid paperwork. To Dee, that's now been taken away, I'm afraid.”

 

Vince nodded. “Yes. But his Carrier instincts did override his detective ones. In time, I'm sure he'll come to acceptance that bringing a child into this world is not being helpless. Especially when you're a man. For every Carrier born child, the miracle of birth is personified. Talking to Dee today, I have every reason to believe he'll work it out.” To Ryo, he said, “I can recommend a psychologist trained with Carrier anxieties. It might help, but the bottom line is, it's up to Dee to overcome this.”

 

“Did you mention this to Dee yet?” Ryo asked.

 

“Yes. And he said he'd try.” Vince smiled, placing a comforting hand on Ryo's shoulder. “He said he'd do anything to make sure he gets through this to the end with a healthy baby.”

 

Ryo looked up at the taller man, unable to keep himself from smiling. “He said that?” Watching Vince's nod, Ryo let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. But Vince, there's something else that I'm sure had to do with this….”

 

“Dee told me about the argument the two of you had. You did good in handling it and no, you did not need to call anyone after getting his body temperature down as quickly as you had. It happens - too often. Why do you think we include those instructions on what to do without calling EMTs in your pamphlet? As long as it went down within the time considered safe, it was fine.”

 

“If you insist.”

 

“Dee's getting warmer, his tone turning more on a red side probably had a lot to do with this little episode of his. And to be honest, there was nothing to be done to stop it. So don't start blaming yourself. From what I can see, his iron levels started to run a little low in the last couple of days. The stress threw it all off. I can't say for certain until the tests are done, but I think once we increase Dee's iron intake, he should be fine. And that's the blind fine tuning we do from experience that I warned you about, Ryo. This was a warning sign. Nothing more. Dee's body requires more iron, and so does the baby. We'll give it to him.”

 

“Do you honestly think that's it?” Ryo asked. He looked thoughtful. “You're saying that he's anemic.”

 

“Temporarily. And that's normal. Either it will go away, or we can keep it under control until the baby is born. The tests are precautions to make sure we don't miss anything. With time after taking iron supplements and increasing his intake in food, we'll determine how temporary it is.”

 

“Fine.” Ryo still looked worried. He did not like hearing Dee can be anemic, even temporary. Ryo had decided back when they found out about the baby that he would make certain they would prevent things like that, by assuring Dee got the proper nutritional values in his food.

 

They turned as the door opened. “We're taking Mr. Laytner up to his room now,” the other doctor informed them.

 

Rose came to stand next to Ryo as they started to wheel Dee upstairs to his room. Vince gestured to them. “You can go upstairs with us. Once Dee's settled in, you can stay with him, Ryo.”

 

“Thank you,” Ryo said.

 

“I need to make a few calls, but I'll be up there soon,” Vince said.

 

“Okay. See you then.” Ryo quickened his pace to get behind the aide pushing the gurney with Dee on it. They allowed him to slip into the elevator. Immediately Ryo gently took Dee's hand in his, his eyes on the sleeping man.

 

### ### ###

 

Dee felt the hand holding his before he was fully awake. He opened his eyes to see exactly what he expected. Ryo was sitting beside the bed, holding his hand. When Ryo noticed Dee looking up at him, he smiled.

 

“Hey beautiful,” Ryo softly said, “how are you feeling?”

 

“Tired,” Dee replied.

 

“Well, you just rest up. Rose said you're on medical leave, and you're not to come back unless you're holding a slip from Vince stating you're cleared to work.”

 

Dee chuckled. “Imagine me getting in trouble by Rose for working,” He let out an amused snort.

 

Ryo smiled at Dee, leaning over to kiss his forehead. “Thank goodness you're okay,” he sighed, resting his forehead against Dee's.

 

“Yeah. We both are.”

 

“We're going to have to make sure you stay that way,” Ryo remarked with a look on his face that told Dee there was no room for argument.

 

Dee decided to let it go. He said the other thing on his mind, “Mother.”

 

“She's on her way. So is Bikky. And Elena said you better rest up.”

 

“You made sure they understand I'm only here for a bit just because of tests, right?” Dee started to frown.

 

Ryo kissed the wrinkles on Dee's forehead. “Relax baby. Yes, they know. I couldn't scare either of them unnecessarily,” Ryo said.

 

Dee sighed. “Damn, so now I'm stuck in bed for a few days.” He started to frown again. “We don't have a few days, Ryo. We need to use whatever time we have to….”

 

“Dee,” Ryo said firmly. “You work yourself up like that, you won't make the wedding. Now relax, don't fret and we'll work something out. Got it? And if I see you starting to stress over it….”

 

“I know, I know. I'm sorry. It's just a bad time for this to happen.”

 

“I think it's a good time,” Ryo said. “It happened at a time that it can be corrected. Not later on when it could really be a problem.”

 

“Yeah, you're right.”

 

“Now I want you rest some more before Mother and Bikky get here, okay?”

 

“Fine. Hey, what happened to the Commissioner? He's the one that came with me here.”

 

“He left shortly after you got settled in here. He's going to let Ted and Marty know you're okay, since they're both still stuck at Central Booking in my place.”

 

“Damn. Poor Ted. From what I remember, I think I really shook him up.”

 

“We'll all survive, Dee.” Ryo smiled. “That's `cause you're okay now.”

 

Dee smiled up at Ryo. “You have a way with words, Mister.”

 

“Oh really? It's a talent, huh?” Ryo grinned at Dee. When he kissed Dee again, it was softly on his lips.

 

They were interrupted by a soft knock at the door. Ryo stood up. “I better get that. You stay put.”

 

Dee snorted. “Like I can go anywhere right now.”

 

Ryo opened the door to find Mother Lane with a nurse. Mother threw her arms around Ryo in greeting. She pulled away, smiling at Ryo. “Look who I found downstairs?” She moved aside to reveal Bikky and Carol.

 

“Ah, the family's all here. Dee's awake too,” Ryo greeted, taking Mother by her arm and leading her in.

 

“Is Dee really okay?” Bikky asked as he followed them in with Carol next to him.

 

“Yes, midget man, I'm really okay.”

 

“Dee!” Bikky moved quickly over to the bed.

 

Dee had his arms out to hug his son. “I'm fine, Bikky,” he assured the boy. “We're both fine. So don't you worry, okay?”

 

Bikky nodded, still hugging Dee. “Yeah.”

 

“Bikky, easy with the IVs,” Ryo warned as he stopped Mother next to his relieved son.

 

Dee laughed. “He's okay.” He looked up to Mother studying him and smiled.

 

Bikky looked up. “Oh!” He gave Dee another quick squeeze, then moved out of Mother's way.

 

Mother gently hugged Dee. “Oh Dee, what did you get yourself into this time?” she joked.

 

“Decided to take a few days off from work without using any of my leave days,” Dee replied.

 

Ryo had a hand on Bikky's shoulder, while his other hand played with the boy's blonde hair.

 

Bikky looked up at Ryo while Mother fussed around Dee. “Was it okay to bring Carol?”

 

Ryo looked at Carol, whose eyes were on Dee. “I don't think you had a choice there, bud,” he chuckled. “It's fine. We're all family.”

 

Bikky nodded his head as Mother made room for Carol to go over to Dee and say hello. “How long is Dee going to have to stay here?” Bikky asked.

 

“Until tomorrow. Like I said over the phone, they just want to run some tests to be sure.”

 

“Oh, okay.”

 

“And I expect you to help around for a few days, because Dee needs to stay in bed for a few more days to rest up.”

 

“Yeah, I can do that.”

 

“Me too,” Carol chimed in.

 

Mother laughed. “Well, I already made arrangements with my assistants at the orphanage, so you'll have me helping too.”

 

Dee gazed up at Mother. “Why do I always have to get hurt or ill to have you stay at my place?”

 

“Because I have a nice huge house filled with darling children where I live. And those darling children love seeing you,” she replied with a wink.

 

Dee laughed. “Hint taken.” He smiled up at his mother as the elderly nun ran her fingers through his hair. Dee's eyes went to Ryo, who was standing with Bikky and Carol. “Oh! Ryo, please. Do you have the… you know.”

 

“Yes, I have it,” Ryo replied, smiling brightly. “We have something to show you,” he said, going over to the bedside table. He opened the drawer to pull out the sonogram picture. “They had to make sure the baby was all right,” Ryo explained, “so they gave Dee this souvenir.” He looked at Dee, who nodded. “Mother, this is your grandchild,” he said, handing the picture to her.

 

Bikky's eyes went wide. “What?” He stood next to Mother, standing up on his toes to look.

 

Mother had a charming smile on her face. “Oh my, Dee.”

 

“Yeah, Ryo and I agree, she looks just like us,” Dee joked.

 

“She?” Mother asked.

 

“Uh… we're not sure. Vince said it's too soon to determine,” Dee replied. “And yes, Bikky, that's the first photo of your sister or brother.”

 

Mother handed it to Bikky so him and Carol could look, smiling down at the teens.

 

“It looks like a blob,” Bikky announced.

 

Ryo laughed. “Rumor has it that's because Dee has a thick skin.” He winked at Dee, who laughed.

 

Mother sat down in the chair next to the bed Ryo offered her. She ran her fingers through his hair again. “How are you feeling, darling?”

 

“Tired, but otherwise, I feel fine. No more dizziness, no spots.”

 

“That's good. Even if Ryo made sure I knew you both were fine, it's still not a good feeling having to drop everything to go see your son in the hospital. So hopefully we'll keep this to a minimum. Say, the next time will be when instead of that wonderful photo, there will be a baby?”

 

Dee smiled. “I agree. This wasn't fun.”

 

“You look like you're keeping yourself awake for us, baby boy.”

 

“No, I'm….” Dee looked up at her, knew he could never lie to his mother. He nodded. “Yeah, I'm starting to get sleepy again. But I already slept.”

 

“Not near enough,” Ryo replied, his arms folded. “Now is not the time to decide to be a charming host. We'll still be here when you wake up.”

 

“You listen to your almost husband, Dee and get some sleep.” She leaned over to kiss his cheek. “I love you, my darling son.”

 

“Love you too, Mother.”

 

“Later Dee,” Bikky said. “I'm glad you're okay.”

 

“Yeah,” Carol said. “We'll see you later.”

 

“You're all leaving me now?”

 

“I'll stay here,” Ryo said.

 

“Okay.” Dee closed his eyes.

 

Mother pulled Ryo to the side. “When he's asleep, come to the lounge.”

 

Ryo nodded, knowing he did not have any other choice but to agree. He sat down in the chair next to the bed, taking Dee's hand and watched as Mother ushered Bikky and Carol out of the room.

 

### ### ###

 

Ryo walked into the lounge to find Mother sitting with Bikky and Carol, talking to them. Both teens were eating from a picnic basket. Mother looked up and noticed Ryo.

 

“Come darling,” she said, patting a seat next to her. “Sit down and eat.”

 

Ryo smiled, realizing in her haste, she still took time to make sure everyone was taken care of. “Thank you, Mother. But I was hoping to find some coffee.”

 

“Coffee is not a meal, Ryo,” Mother stated. “And I thought you were cutting down with Dee.”

 

Ryo shrugged ruefully. “Honestly, Dee allows me to drink it all I want. It seems that he loves the smell of it, but his taste went off in drinking it. Like the cigarettes, gone. He doesn't drink coffee anymore.”

 

“Oh? Well, that's good news. But you still need to eat. Now sit here. It's not much, but a nice meatloaf sandwich with some vegetables will do you wonders. And if you really need it, Bikky can go run and get you some coffee.”

 

Bikky looked up from his near empty plate. “Yup. Carol and I can even run down the street to get you real coffee instead of this stuff here.”

 

Ryo sat down next to Mother with a sigh. “I'll try, but I'm really not hungry. My stomach is still all twisted up from this.”

 

Mother handed Ryo a plate and napkins and rubbed his back soothingly. “Dee is on the mend, so don't you go making yourself ill now. Dee doesn't need that. And it just won't do in finishing the plans for your wedding. Am I right?”

 

Ryo nodded.

 

“You look exhausted too, darling one.”

 

Bikky stood up. “We'll go get some coffee now, even if maybe it might be for later.” He snickered, knowing Mother too well.

 

“That's fine, sweetie. Do you need money?” Mother asked.

 

Bikky shook his head. “Nah, I have the emergency money my dads make me carry.”

 

“Good. Ryo, take a bite.”

 

Ryo started to roll his eyes, but stopped himself in time. He took a small bite of the sandwich. The meatloaf was very good. He knew that already from the aroma. He was not sure his stomach would handle it. He also realized he had no choice but to make himself eat as much of it as he could. He swallowed the bite and looked over to Bikky. “You be careful, okay?”

 

“Yeah. I will. We won't be long,” Bikky replied.

 

Ryo took another small bite, watching Bikky and Carol wave, then leave.

 

Mother patted his shoulder. “See? After you eat something, you'll feel better. Of course, you'll feel much better getting some sleep. So while you finish this, I'm going to speak to a nurse about having a cot moved into Dee's room. I don't suppose you're planning on going home tonight, are you?”

 

“No, ma'am,” Ryo replied.

 

“Then I guess I should see about that cot. Do you want to send Bikky home in a cab to bring you some overnight items?”

 

“Um, yeah. I guess that's a good idea. I should check to see if they want Dee to stay in a hospital gown. If not, I'll bet he'd be happy with a pair of pajamas.”

 

“You just keep eating there, sweetie. I'll take care of everything else.” She kissed Ryo's cheek, then stood up and left the lounge.

 

“She left me, trusting I'd eat most of it, instead of throwing it out. Damn, now I have no choice but to eat,” Ryo muttered, making himself take another bite. No matter how much he ate, he knew it would not alleviate the hollow feeling in his stomach. That was going to stay with him until Dee was back home and not in a hospital.

 

“Shit, I still need to call Drake and JJ,” he muttered, adding yet another thing he had to do.

 

### ### ###

 

“But Drakey, I just have to go. I need to see for myself that Dee and the little one are okay.”

 

“Jemmy,” Drake sighed, leaning his arms on his desk. “Ryo said that Dee was okay, and just needs to get more iron. He also said that Dee's exhausted and will be sleeping a lot. So why do you want to go down there and keep the poor man awake?”

 

“Dee doesn't have to talk. I just want to see him. And I'll bet Ryo isn't doing very well right now. We need to make sure he's okay too.”

 

“Dee's mother is there with them. Ryo said as much. She made him eat, she got him a cot and approval to stay the night in Dee's room. Ryo will be fine too.”

 

JJ slumped back in his chair. “They're our friends, and we're just going to think about going home?”

 

“Yes,” Drake replied. “I'm sure they don't need a whole bunch of well wishers converging down on them right now. We can call in the morning and see how Dee is doing, and maybe go see them then. Right now, I think they just need the privacy of family.”

 

JJ pouted for a reply.

 

“Jemmy, if I was sick and exhausted to the point of a collapse, what would you want?”

 

“For people to leave you the hell alone to get some rest.” He looked up at Drake, who was opening his mouth, a satisfied look on his face. “But not Dee and Ryo. Everyone else, yes, stay away. Not them.”

 

“No. I just don't think it's a good idea. I am thinking to offer taking Bikky for the night if Mother Lane has to go back to the orphanage tonight,” Drake suggested.

 

“Yeah. That's good. He likes you better than me, anyway.”

 

Drake chuckled. “You and Bikky get along just fine now that you're stopped slobbering all over Dee. And I'm afraid that right now, if you go to the hospital, you're going to do it again. Then I might have to smack you one.”

 

JJ rolled his eyes. “I wouldn't slobber. Okay, fine. You take Bikky if they don't have anyone to watch him. But I am ordering flowers before I leave tonight.”

 

“Jemmy, you don't have to go home, you know,” Drake said, standing up and going over to JJ's desk.

 

“Well if that brat… I mean if Bikky's there…”

 

“You come over and show Bikky there's no reason for him to believe you're still after one of his dads. Once he realizes that, I'm sure he'll come around one of these days. And whether Bikky stays or not, you're staying over tonight. That's to make sure you don't go to the hospital anyway.”

 

“I want to sleep in a bed, Drake. Not a couch.”

 

“You can. Like I said. Show Bikky you're not after Dee anymore.”

 

“Then Dee and Ryo will know. I thought we agreed?”

 

“Until we felt the time was right. Well, with this happening, so what? They find out. If anyone understands keeping something like this secret, it's Dee and Ryo.”

 

“If you think you're really ready for that, yeah, fine. I'll go call for flowers and you try to get in touch with Ryo about Bikky.”

 

“I thought you'd see it my way.” Drake smiled and leaned down to lightly kiss JJ's lips.

 

### ### ###

 

Ryo walked back into the hospital room, smiling at Dee, who was looking up at him. “Sorry about that. It was Drake. I had to call him back.”

 

“You better not say next that you're being called back on duty,” Dee stated.

 

“No. Nothing like that.” He sat on the edge of the bed, where Dee made room for him. “Drake wanted to know if we needed someone to keep Bikky for the night. I told him that he's at the apartment with Mother and Carol. He'll call again tomorrow to see if you're up to visitors.”

 

“Depends on what time they break me out of here, I guess.” Dee closed his eyes.

 

“We'll see whether you need to get much more sleep when you get home before I allow any visitors, no matter how well their intentions are.” Carefully Ryo laid on the bed, alongside Dee and draped his arm across Dee. “Besides, when you get home, I want to wrap myself around you and hold you like I really want to without worrying about loosening anything.”

 

Dee opened his eyes to look at Ryo. “I love you too, Ryo.”

 

“You know I do,” Ryo chuckled. “Go to sleep, love.”

 

“I want to see the picture again.”

 

Ryo rubbed his face in Dee's shoulder. “Only if you allow yourself to go to sleep again. Because you know later when you want to sleep, they're going to come in and wake you up for meds.”

 

“Thank goodness they got a room on the OB floor,” Dee sighed. “Because that gorilla woman is loose somewhere. And I hear they keep her away from pregnant people and babies.”

 

Ryo chuckled, leaning back to reach for the picture. “I heard that too. She walks by the nursery and all the babies start crying.” He held the picture for Dee to see. “Here. There's our precious little chibi, gorgeous.”

 

“She is adorable, isn't she?”

 

“Dee, that's the second time.”

 

“Oh, yeah it is.” Dee looked at the image again. “Because when I look at it, I see a she.”

 

“Who knows what might be lurking in those murky shadows, Dee. And it might mean the chibi is a boy.”

 

“Maybe. But I don't know. I look at her and she screams `she'.”

 

“Dee, we can hardly make out a head from an ass in that photo and you're determining gender?”

 

“Well, let's see,” Dee said slowly, lifting a hand to point at the photo. “Right here, this little blob is her head. There's the edge of a little arm. Her other arm is out of range. And her knees are curled up.”

 

Ryo shook his head amused. “Now you're going to say you're that in tune, huh?”

 

Dee gave Ryo a sloppy smile. “Nah. Vince pointed it all out to me when he first showed it to me.”

 

“You! Nobody told me features were made out.”

 

Dee laughed softly. “That's cause I told Vince I wanted to be the one to show you. And I wanted it to be at a moment like this, just the two of us, relaxed. Tomorrow you can play the same trick on Bikky.” He winked at Ryo.

 

“You… Nevermind. Now you got to have your fun, and saw our chibi again. So can you try to go to sleep now?” Ryo kissed Dee's cheek.

 

“Yes. I can do that now. With us just like this. I want you wrapped around me more, but this is better than before. So I'll take it.”

 

### ### ###

 

February 11, 2006

 

 

Ryo entered the apartment with Dee, his arm around the other man for support. Bikky trailed behind with the suitcase he had packed the night before.

 

“Mother, we're here,” Ryo called out, smiling at Dee. “And I'm going to drop you on the couch for a few minutes. Okay?”

 

Dee nodded. “The window seat would be better,” he replied.

 

“Window seat it is, then. Any dizziness?” Ryo asked, as they made their way across the living room.

 

“Nope. Just feel weak. No dizziness, no spots, no aches and pains. Well other than down there sometimes. But that's going to last for a few more weeks.”

 

Ryo gently placed Dee on the cushioned window seat, reaching for the large pillows to prop Dee and get him comfortable. Mother walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands. She watched as Ryo shook out a light throw and settled it on Dee as gently as if the seated man was made of fine porcelain. Her smile widened as Ryo gently kissed Dee's lips.

 

“Comfortable?” he asked Dee.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Now you sit tight while Bikky and I go drag up the botanical garden you accumulated during your 24 hour stay.” Ryo caressed Dee's cheek.

 

“I'm loved. What can I say?” Dee smiled at Ryo. “You're amazing.”

 

“I learned from the best,” Ryo replied with a wink. “Now you play nice with your mother while us slaves lug in the loot.” He kissed Dee again, before turning to find Bikky waiting at the door. Ryo went up to Bikky, ruffling his hair. “Let's tackle those weeds, shall we?”

 

Mother laughed as the two left the apartment. “Ryo's in a very good mood,” she observed, going up to Dee. She hugged him and kissed his cheek.

 

“Yeah. Clean bill of health, more or less, a photo of our baby and my being home instead of having to stay longer for more tests can do that,” Dee replied, hugging the nun back.

 

“Yes, I know. The poor dear was so afraid they'd find something to keep you in longer. So did they say how bad is the anemia?” she asked, sitting down next to Dee.

 

“Not very. I definitely need more iron. Vince ordered me a new prescription for my vitamins and an iron supplement. I'm still supposed to make sure I get at least 30 gms of iron a day, more if possible.”

 

“30? Wow,” Mother exclaimed. “Now aren't you glad when you were younger I taught you to appreciate liver?” She winked at him.

 

“Yeah, I can deal with it.”

 

“Good, because that's what you're having for dinner tonight. And I made you a banana crème pie for dessert.”

 

“Don't tell me. I don't get the pie until I eat all my liver,” Dee said with a smile.

 

“You got it. Along with the grilled onions, and broccoli and whatever other vegetables I decide to throw in there.” She leaned slightly against Dee, putting her arm around him. “Oh Dee, last night I thanked the Lord for giving us just a warning and nothing wrong. You're my treasure and that baby is a blessing.”

 

Dee smiled and rubbed his head against hers. “I'll bet you did more than just pray for thanks. There was probably a novena mass going on last night.”

 

Mother snorted. “Of course there was. And you know I had nothing to do with it, except tell the others at the church what happened. They all love you, too, Dee.”

 

Dee pressed his face against her shoulder. “What do I expect having a nun for a mother? I love you, Mother. And thank you for making sure Ryo took care of himself.”

 

“You know I love you too, my son. And Ryo is part of your package now. Of course, I have to take care of him too.” She hugged him again, before standing up. “Now why don't I make you some nice hot tea? And maybe a little before dinner snack?

 

“Ooh! Yes. Please,” Dee exclaimed.

 

Mother laughed. They both turned their heads when the door opened.

 

“Oh man,” Bikky huffed, carrying in a couple of vases with flower arrangements.

 

“You know Dee,” Ryo's voice came from behind what appeared to be legs coming out of flowers, “I hate to see what I'm going to be carrying in when the baby is born.”

 

Dee and Mother laughed.

 

“You know, maybe we can use these for the wedding?” Bikky asked, putting his load down. He gave Dee an impish look.

 

“Now there's a plan, Biks,” Ryo agreed, setting his down too. “Now, we'll worry about where to set them up later.” He ruffled Bikky's hair again. “And you,” he stated, starting to walk toward Dee. “Into pajamas and bed with you until dinner.”

 

“But Mother promised me a snack with tea,” Dee protested.

 

“I can bring it into the bedroom just as easily as here. Ryo's right. If you rest now, and look fine during dinner, we might let you sit on the couch a little while and watch some TV,” Mother said.

 

Dee sighed. “It's a gang up. I know it. Okay okay.”

 

Ryo held his hand out to Dee. “C'mon. Off to bed with you two.”

 

Dee chuckled as he took Ryo's hand and allowed his fiancé to help him to his feet.

 

### ### ###

 

A/N: Oh WOW! So many wonderful reviews! Thank you, thank you, thank you! **HUGS** to all!

 

I'm glad from comments and reviews that so far, it's worth the wait. Hopefully the wait wasn't that long this time. I can't promise as quick an update for chapter 9. I try to keep myself ahead by at least 5 draft chapters. Plus I'm currently getting to the countdown of a wedding. So if I don't post 9 soon, that means I'm wrapped up in getting these two hotties finally married.

 

Sorry about the cliffie in the last chapter, but I'll have to admit it was intentionally planned. And far from the last one before this epic saga is done.

 

Now once again, lemme stop the yakking and get this posted.

 

Ja ne!