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jackdanielstb · 7 years ago

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making dish babies - @JackDanielsTB and @DrPhilipByrne

The day had finally come. Annabeth was nervous, and vaguely nauseous, when heading to the pre-op room. She’d prepared her doctor about the two men that would be with her, and donating, but it still garnered a few looks from the staff. Jack and Philip had done their part and now she was about to go into a twilight for the egg retrieval. She gripped each of their hands when they went into the room, the door shutting behind them. She needed to change into a gown, but when she tried to get her blouse unbuttoned, her hands shook too badly to get more than one open. Glancing over at Philip and Jack, she gestured to her chest. “I feel like I might throw up. Can you help…?”

Jack was waiting in the clinic’s lobby when they arrived, legs fidgeting restlessly. When Annabeth and Philip came through the doors, he jumped to his feet, offering AB a smile and a tight hug and the doctor a cool nod. They went in together, where AB was handed a stack of paperwork and the men each received a little plastic cup for their contribution. Jack refused to meet Philip’s eyes as they awkwardly shambled off to the collection rooms to do their duty. When they returned, it was AB’s turn. Jack anxiously followed her to the exam room with Philip.

Philip was a bundle of nerves as he rushed forward to help Anna, colliding with Jack in the other man’s haste to do the same. The men blinked at each other a moment then the doctor reluctantly backed off, letting Jack do the honors. It was still odd seeing another man undress his girlfriend, but this was neither the time nor place to argue about it. He had never seen her look so pale. “It’s going to be okay,” he heard Jack murmur to her as her blouse came undone. Philip turned to grab the gown. “It’ll all be over in 20 minutes. Then you can go home and relax,” Pip added as he helped Anna slip it on and fastened the back.

They looked like they might be as nervous as she was, which didn’t help her nerves. This was major. A step towards getting what she wanted, finally. It was cold in the room, or maybe that was her nerves. She laughed, the sound jarring in the exam room, when they both rushed to help her. “Watch out…” she muttered, letting Jack get her blouse open and off. “I know it will…” she replied, leaning her head on Jack’s shoulder briefly. She sighed and folded her blouse, laying it in the bag they provided for her. It was awkward being together, more awkward getting undressed by Jack while Philip stood by and watched.

The worst of the awkward had been the two of them going off to give their samples. She’d never felt more conspicuous as she had waiting on them to return.

Annabeth shimmied from her pants and out of the last of her clothes, adding them to the bag before getting into the gown with Philip’s help. Leaning into him briefly, she let him comfort her and help her to sit on the table and wait on the doctor to come in. She reached for both Jack and Philip’s hands, watching the door until her doctor and the nurse came in to get her started. She was ready for the anti-anxiety medications so she might stop feeling like she wanted to throw up.

Jack moved quickly to Annabeth’s side as she slid up onto the table, taking her hand as Philip took her other one. He pressed a kiss to her hand and waited. The silence was deafening. After what felt like an age, though it was only a few minutes, a doctor and nurse entered the room. Jack listened intently as the doctor explained the procedure and the nurse checked AB’s vitals, relieved when she was given a large dose of Ativan. That didn’t stop him from wincing when he had to move away to let the nurse set up AB’s IV. She hated needles, and this was the mother of needles.

Though a doctor himself, Pip wasn’t familiar with the today’s procedure. He looked on as Anna was prepared for the OR, stroking her hand and kissing her shoulder while the IV was placed. He would have sworn the nurse gave him the side eye and he raised a brow, wondering exactly what she thought the situation was here. Once the anxiety medication was given time to kick in, Anna was off to the OR with a last kiss from her men. Left alone in the corridor with Jack, he looked up, muttering, “Coffee?”

And so they found themselves in the waiting room, weak cups of coffee in hand as they waited for news of Annabeth. Jack didn’t speak, not really knowing what to say to the man who would be a partner in the weird parenthood journey they were embarking on. It was… a lot. Instead he sipped his coffee and watched the clock and the muted television in the corner. A pair of women entered the clinic, spoke briefly with the receptionist then took seats on the other side of the waiting room, holding hands. The cute blonde with a boyish haircut caught his eye and beamed, “You guys too?” Jack started as she spoke, looking wide eyed to Philip then back at her as he realized what she meant. “Us? No, you… We aren’t-“

Pip rolled his eyes as Jack stammered through explanations, the women’s faces falling. “The gay panic is real,” he muttered under breath, crumpling his empty coffee cup. The nurse from earlier had come around the corner and he patted Jack’s knee as the man continued to assure the lesbian couple that he was, in fact, heterosexual. “Come on, boyfriend. That’s us.” Throwing away their cups, they entered the recovery room, where Anna was beginning to stir.

The Ativan was welcome. It worked quick enough and AB found herself not caring much about the IV when the time came. Not until they were placing it at any rate. Then tears filled her eyes and she winced, squeezing Philip’s hand hard enough that her own ached when she let go.

A kiss to each of her guys, one last hand squeeze, and Annabeth was off to get her procedure done and over with.

It felt like she’d blinked and her eyes opened in the recovery room. Surely it wasn’t over? Confusion set in as she tried to sit up but was urged to hold still a while longer by a nurse. She was talking, but AB wasn’t comprehending yet, coming up out of the twilight. Then Jack and Philip were there and nothing else mattered. Again tears welled in her eyes as she reached for them, wanting the comfort of their touch while the anesthesia wore off and she slowly came out of the fog. “Is it over? Did they get them?”

They crowded around her bed from both sides, each taking one of her hands. The scene in the waiting room forgotten, Jack ran his fingers through AB’s hair, smiling down at her, glad that she was okay. “It’s over. They got them.” He hoped so anyway. He didn’t want to put her through all of this again if it didn’t work. It would crush her, and frankly, him as well. He glanced up quickly at the nurse for confirmation. She nodded, “The doctor retrieved twelve mature eggs.”

“We’re here, love. How are you feeling?” Philip stroked Anna’s arm as the sedation wore off, hoping she wouldn’t feel sick. “Twelve!” crowed Jack from the other side of the bed. “That’s good, right?” Jack looked from the nurse to him for confirmation, smiling hopefully. Philip really thought the man should smile more. Infected by his good mood, he grinned, “Yeah. Yeah, that’s good.”

Annabeth breathed out a sigh of relief, holding their hands. She still felt like she was half under water, everything felt far away and their voices sounded strange. She woke up more as they held her hand and both of them petted on her. Blinking up at Jack, she smiled groggily. “Twelve! That’s so good…” She tried to sit up again but fell back, her belly cramping badly enough she cried out and gripped Philip’s hand harder.

“A little sick. Sore.” Groaning, she looked to the nurse. “Can I have some Sprite?” The nurse nodded and went to go get it, coming back after a few minutes with a small can of Sprite with a straw. AB drank greedily, glad to have something to kill her dry mouth. Eyes closing briefly, she sighed softly. “Oh, I needed that…” she muttered, looking back up to her guys, smiling. She pulled their hands close and kissed them both. “Twelve though… That’s really good…” She was overwhelmed, that was a good number. “I love you both… I love you so much…”

Jack sucked in a breath at her sound of pain. “Just relax for a bit. There’s no rush.” He looked away to call, “Can we get her some pain meds?” Philip also looked concerned at her discomfort. He reached over and slowly tilted the bed up into a more seated position. The guy obviously knew his way around a hospital bed. “It’s so good. We’re going to take you home so soon. I love you…”

Pip was glad she was drinking on her own. It was a good sign. Anna hadn’t been able to eat or drink anything since last night. They’d have to feed her as soon as she was able to keep food down. He smiled at Anna, leaning in to brush his lips over hers. “I love you. One step closer to a houseful, huh…?” The nurse broke up their lovefest as she returned with a snack and painkillers for Anna. All of her vitals looked good, it was just a matter of time.

“But I wanna go home,” she said, eyes heavy still. “I want bed and a movie. A really, really sappy one. With a happy ending…” Annabeth sighed in relief, getting the bed to sit up more. She felt better for not being laid down. It made her feel less nauseous, so did the Sprite. The pain meds came along with a snack, and she was glad for it. The cramps weren’t that bad, but had startled her.

Anna kissed Philip softly, smiled a little. “A step closer. I’m excited… I can’t wait to get to hold my baby…” She closed her eyes again, relaxing. When she opened them, she nibbled her crackers. Nothing had ever tasted better than those bland crackers. Nothing in her whole life. Anna groaned and reached for another cracker. “These are soo good… When can I go? When will they call about the embryos…?” she asked, looking from her guys to the nurse. “I just want to go home…”

“My bed’s got your name all over it, AB. All the pillows.” Jack had picked up her favorite snacks and changed the sheets that morning, wanting her to be comfortable when she got home. He kept petting her hair, incredibly relieved the procedure had all gone according to plan. This was going to happen. They were going to have a baby. He knew it.

Philip laughed softly at Anna’s appetite. The nurse had gone to fill in the doctor and had returned with her. Anna was cleared to go, if she kept it easy. The nurse went around disconnecting the monitors and removing the IV while the doctor updated them. “We’ll give you a call every day to let you know their progress. Not all of the eggs will develop, but I think you have a very good chance. Once we freeze them, they’ll be ready whenever you are.”

“The nest,” she laughed softly. “The really fluffy nest…” God, she wanted to get into bed, in something comfy, with all the snacks. Maybe Chinese. “Oh god, I want Chinese…” she mumbled to herself. Food was at the front of her brain at the moment. Anna leaned her head into Jack’s touch, humming a little. She was content, excited. Somewhere in this building, someone was making their babies. In a dish.

Anna got another cracker and stuffed her face. Then the IV was coming out and she was going to get dressed to go home. Her nerves had faded. She wasn’t in much pain, just a little sore, and crampy. She knew to expect those things. Sitting up more, she swung her legs off the bed and nodded to the doctor. “Thank you, Doctor. We’re excited.” Okay. She was excited. Jack probably was too. Doc maybe was. She was sure he was mostly nervous. Reaching for Philip, she wanted to try and stand up and maybe get changed again. “I’m ready now… But it can wait…”

The doctor smiled and left to give them some privacy. Jack was incredibly excited. He hadn’t stopped smiling since the news of the successful retrieval. Pulling down the bag of AB’s things, he got out her clothes, eager to take her home. Even if it meant taking Philip with them. “The nest is waiting. We can get Chinese on the way home…"

Philip moved into Anna’s reach, helping to support her as she stood, not wanting her to lose her balance. "Easy does it. Not dizzy?” He was more concerned with her at the moment than what was going on in a dish somewhere behind the scenes. That was something he’d worry about later. They didn’t even know how many would make it.

Annabeth couldn’t help smiling at Jack. It had been too long since she’d seen him look so happy, and it warmed her heart to see him like that. “Jack…” she murmured, reaching for him to squeeze his hand. He wanted this just as much as she did and Anna couldn’t wait to see their baby’s face. One day. Soon. “Love you, Jack. Are you happy…?” she asked.

Standing slowly, Anna held onto Philip and closed her eyes, trying not to sway on her feet. “A little,” she admitted. But holding onto him, she felt it ebbing away, and opened her eyes. “Better…” she sighed and wrapped her arms around his waist to hold him. “Love you.” She felt achy, an old woman, as she shifted away to get dressed. Anna leaned on them both heavily, needing help to get dressed again. Once dressed, the nurse came in with more paperwork, discharging her so she could go home.

Jack glanced up as AB reached for him and smiled, taking his hand in hers and kissing it. “Of course I’m happy. I’m so happy…” He really was. He hadn’t felt so hopeful in a long, long time. “I love you. Thank you for going through this for us…” She had sacrificed - been pricked and prodded to no end. He’d only had to jerk off in a tiny room with outdated magazines.

Pip held Anna close until she was ready to move, nuzzling her neck. “I love you.” With the help of Jack, they slowly helped her dress. With her papers signed and a prescription for painkillers in hand, they slowly led her out through the waiting room, one man under each arm. There was no way they’d let her overdo it.

AB gripped Jack’s hand tight. “I like you happy… You have the prettiest smile I’ve ever seen…” she mumbled, kissing his hand. The meds they’d given her had her feeling loose and open. “You really look like an angel when you’re smiling…” Blinking, she smiled at Jack, pulled him over for a kiss. “It’s all worth it when we have a baby. A houseful of babies.” All the babies. She would go through this all a thousand times to be able to hold a baby at the end.

Humming into Philip’s chest, Anna held onto the both of them on their way out to the waiting room. She settled in the wheelchair for the ride down to the entrance while Jack went for the car. When Philip rolled her outside, she let both of them help her into the car, her laying back in the passenger seat with her eyes closed. “Egg roll. I want one when we get Chinese.”

AB’s silly talk about angels made Jack laugh. “AB…. You are so high I’m jealous.” When she pulled him over he didn’t resist, kissing her over and over. “A houseful sounds perfect…” Leaving her in the care of the doctor, he ran out to get the car and pulled it right up to the entrance. Safely depositing AB inside the car, the doctor buckled her in as Jack slid behind the wheel. “I’ll get you a dozen egg rolls."

Anna may have been high, but she had a point about Jack’s smile. It was a stunner. Seeing how happy Anna was made it all worth it. But surprisingly, Jack’s happiness gave him a bit of the warm fuzzies too. And he didn’t even like the guy. Philip settled in the backseat, sitting in the middle so he could monitor Anna. "And I’ll help you eat them.” They headed home.

“I am so lightweight…” She was. The drugs were so nice too. The crampiness had faded some, though her limbs all felt heavy and her body was achy. It was fading, the aches. “I really like your smile though. Angel.” Annabeth looked over to him and smiled. “A houseful. We can have that…” Twelve. Twelve eggs. That was a lot of potential.

"That is a lot of egg rolls…“ she mumbled, getting comfortable and smiling at the little bit of fussing they were doing. Eyes closing, she dozed a little for the ride, her hand reaching back to touch Doc’s, wanting that contact with him.

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