Bundle of Misery (Part 2/2)
Title: Bundle of Misery
Author: VampireMadonna
Pairing: YunJae
Rating: PG-13
Length: Part 2/2
Genre: Mpreg
Summary: Jaejoong's knocked up and he isn't too happy about it. Can Yunho change his mind before their baby arrives?
The following morning, Jaejoong strolled around the apartment grumbling to himself, one hand pressed to the small of his back and the other rubbing the huge mound in front of him.
His stomach had started bothering him before he’d gone to bed but he’d assumed that it was merely a bout of indigestion. After all, Yunho had dropped a bombshell just before he fed him.
Fed me? Am I a dog?
Since he’d woken, however, the discomfort and cramping in his stomach had worsened and his back was killing him. Usually kneeding it helped but nothing seemed to work this time.
Finally, fed up of the situation and having come to one startling, scary conclusion, he picked up the phone and called his sister.
“Question,” he said when she answered. “How do you know when you’re in labor?”
He heard an excited gasp on the other end, then, “Oh my God, Joongie, is the baby coming?” followed by a loud screech.
“Calm down, woman! I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking you,” he replied, feeling his irritation grow. What was it with chicks and kids?
“Okay, okay,” she said, sounding a little more subdued. “Um, well, your water breaks. Did your water break?”
“Considering that I don’t have a vagina and all, I can’t conclusively answer that question, can I?” he growled. “It’s not like I can squeeze the kid out of my dick.”
“Geez, you’re such a sourpuss. You know, pregnancy is supposed to soften you, not make you even more of a hardass,” she scolded. “You should’ve gone to those lamaze classes like I told you to.”
Jaejoong’s jaw clenched. “I reiterate: seeing as how I can’t push the kid out of my body, I honestly didn’t see the point.”
“Still calling it “the kid”, I see. Have you still not chosen a name? Really, Joongie, you don’t have much time left. These are things that you’re supposed to settle long before the baby comes.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You and Yunho are like a broken record. “Pick a name, Jaejoong.” “Marry me, Jaejoong.” Stop hounding me, geez!”
“Wait: Yunho asked you to marry him? Again?! Jaejoong, oh my g… That’s wonderful. I’m so happy for you. Yunho is such a great guy. You have no idea how lucky you are.”
“I didn’t say yes,” Jaejoong interrupted, cutting her congratulatory speech short.
“Why not? Don’t you realize that if you keep rejecting him, by the time you figure out that you do love and want to marry him he might have stopped asking? I never took you for a fool, baby brother, don’t start disappointing me now. My niece or nephew deserves to have both parents.”
Shoulders hunching defensively, Jaejoong ignored her words and steered the conversation back on course.
“Can we get back to the reason I called you, please? I’m in a lot of pain, noona. My back is killing me and my stomach’s been punishing me since last night.”
“Okay, okay. Um, what kind of pain are you getting in your belly?”
“Cramps mostly. It’s not constant, just sort of intermittent but excruciating cramps.”
“Since last night, you say? Um, Joongie, I don’t know how to tell you this but I think you’d better get to the hospital. Now,” she stressed.
“Wait, what? Why?”
“Because you are in labor, you idiot. See, if you had gone to the Lamaze classes like I’d told you…”
“Noona…”
“The male ones! The ones for people in your…situation. You’d know what to expect. But no, you always think you know everything.” She was practically screaming at him now.
“What’s there to know? They’re going to slice me open and take the kid out, that’s all.”
“Yes, but if your water broke and there’s nowhere for it to go, what do you think is going to happen to the baby, Jaejoong? Think, dammit.”
He hadn’t thought of that. Oh, God, had the baby… Had it drowned?
“Do you think it…drowned?” he asked, fear washing over him like a tidal wave.
Perhaps realizing that her point had been too well taken, his sister calmed down and said in a gentle voice, “No. If you’re getting cramps then it’s probably still in the early stages. The sack may not have burst yet. But you really should get to the hospital as soon as possible, Jaejoong. Call Yunho, tell him to have them prep for an emergency Caesarian, and take a cab over. I’ll meet you there. I’d come for you but that’d just waste precious time.”
“Okay.”
“Joongie?”
“Yes?”
“It’ll be alright,” she assured. “Being engaged to one of the head surgical residents must have some perks.”
“We’re not engaged,” he grumbled automatically, a flicker of irritation registering through the haze of fear.
Mission accomplished, his sister thought. “See you soon.”
Jaejoong hung up and made his way to the nightmare staircase, surprising himself when he mounted it in less than half his usual time. Motivation, he realized, was key.
His “baby-bag” was already packed, placed within easy reach on the floor of his large closet. He changed into traveling clothes, lamenting the fact that he wouldn’t be able to shave like he’d planned. He didn’t have a vagina but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t be neat and clean. If strangers were going to be gawking at his nude body then he wanted to give them the best view possible.
When he was ready, he slowly made his way back down the staircase, double-checked to make sure that the house was in order, then walked out to the hallway, also double-checking the locks behind him. He strode down the hall to the apartment next door and knocked.
A sweet-looking old woman answered.
“Oh, Jaejoong,” she greeted, her face instantly lighting up. “How are you? I haven’t seen you in a while. I’m sorry, dear, I’ve been meaning to come over but I just got caught up and it must have slipped my mind. You know, when you get to be my age, that happens a lot. One minute the thought is there, the next it’s gone. I’ve been taking memory pills but I can’t yet testify that they’re working. I suppose I’ll know soon enough. You know…”
“Mrs. Park,” Jaejoong interrupted before she started telling him what she’d had for breakfast. “I was wondering if you could take me to the hospital?”
He’d decided that asking a neighbour would be a lot more time efficient than calling a taxi - and Mrs. Park won by default since she was the only one he had any kind of relationship with - but he was starting to reconsider.
Mrs. Park frowned. “The hospital? Is everything alright? Are you hurt?” Her eyes widened as it suddenly clicked in her age-addled brain. “Is the baby coming?”
Jaejoong nodded.
“Well, why didn’t you just say so? You should’ve stopped my ramblings. You know how I carry on if no one stops me before I pick up steam. Let me just get my car keys.”
Five minutes later, Jaejoong was strapped into the passenger seat of Mrs. Park’s little sedan, sending up a mental prayer to whoever was listening, asking that they arrive safely at the hospital. Mrs. Park wasn’t one of those slow-driving grannies, which had also factored into his decision, but he now found himself reconsidering that as well.
Dear Lord, he prayed, I can’t die before Yunho sees his baby.
Yunho.
Speaking of the devil…
Jaejoong dug his phone out and dialed his baby-daddy’s number.
“Jaejoong?” Yunho answered on the first ring. “What’s wrong? Is it the baby? Is…”
“I’m on my way to the hospital,” Jaejoong said calmly. “I think the k…baby’s coming. I’m not 100% sure but I figure since it’s due in a couple of weeks anyway, they may as well take it out now since I’m already going to be there,” he joked.
“I’ll have everything ready. Don’t worry about a thing,” Yunho assured him.
They stayed on the phone and Yunho was at the entrance waiting to help him out of the car when they drove up. Jaejoong was settled into a wheelchair and before he knew it, he was laying in bed in a private room in the VIP section of the hospital.
“You know…,” he began, eyes darting around the elegantly appointed room. The furnishings and wallpaper were mostly pink, which he usually wouldn’t have minded since he had a personal affinity for the color but the abundance of it screamed estrogen which, as he was so fond of pointing out, he lacked. “As much as I appreciate it, it really wasn’t necessary to do all…this. I’d have been perfectly happy in the maternity…uh…paternity…the usual place where people make babies.”
Busy checking his vitals, Yunho’s eyes never left the monitor as he replied, “This is the VIP wing and you’re a VIP. At least to me, anyway.”
“That’s sweet but it’s an unnecessary and, I’m sure, extravagant expense. Kids are already expensive, you know.”
Yunho’s gaze flickered down to meet Jaejoong’s. “I’ll pay for everything, if you’re so concerned about it.”
“I’m a financial adviser, I can’t help myself. And as your financial adviser, I would be remiss if I didn’t look out for your bank account. It’s not too late, you know. The kid’s not here yet.”
Yunho sighed in exasperation. “Jaejoong…Don’t you think it’s time you stopped calling our child that?” He sat beside him on the bed and took his hand. “Please, just once, call him or her your baby. Your child. Our baby, our child. Like you did on the phone. If you said it once, there’s no reason that you can’t say it all the time.”
Jaejoong held back a rude retort. He knew that Yunho was right. He was about to give birth to their child. The time for distancing himself from it was long gone. It was going to be there soon and there was no way he was going to be able to ignore it once it arrived.
Expelling a breath, he asked, “Is the baby coming?”
Yunho glanced back at the monitor. “It’s hard to tell. Your blood pressure’s elevated but that’s normal. Both your and the baby’s hearts are beating normally. Everything was clear on the ultrasound. If this was a normal pregnancy, there’d be a lot more indicators. As it stands, we can only make assumptions.”
Jaejoong sighed. “So, what’s next?”
“How do you feel?” Yunho asked suddenly.
“I’m fine. My back doesn’t hurt anymore, and I’m sure I have the morphine to thank for that. But…” He broke off on a grimace. “My stomach still feels weird. The cramps haven’t stopped at all.”
“Okay. Let me just…”
At that moment, the door opened and a figure walked in, completely suited in surgical scrubs.
“Hello, Yunho. I hear we have a baby to deliver.”
There was a flurry of activity afterward as Jaejoong was transferred to a gurney and wheeled down to a surgical theater. He noticed that Yunho disappeared for a few minutes, just long enough to change into scrubs himself. He was told that his sister and mother had arrived and were anxiously pacing in the waiting room. The thought pacified him somewhat. Not that they were there but that they were most likely worried and afraid for him. As the saying went, misery loves company.
“Okay, Jaejoong,” the head surgeon began, the sound of gloves snapping into place punctuating his words. “Despite the anesthesia, you may still feel some sensation in the area but it shouldn’t be painful. If it is, you let me know immediately. Okay?”
From his position on the table, Jaejoong nodded. The fluorescent light directly overhead burned his corneas so he kept his head turned side to the side but that made the oxygen mask even more uncomfortable and suffocating. He hated wearing masks, always found them constricting, and even though this one was intended to help him breathe better, it was actually triggering his claustrophobia instead.
Kid, you had better be a fucking saint after all this, I swear!
“We’re about to begin, Jaejoong. Just stay calm and breathe deeply.”
He vaguely felt his hand being lifted and looked up to see Yunho standing beside him, smiling gently.
Such a handsome man, he thought. So warm, kind and caring. He had really lucked out. This baby had hit the genetic lottery. Not only was he gorgeous - it wasn’t vanity if it was true - but Yunho was undoubtedly the most attractive man he’d ever been with. He wondered if he’d ever told him how handsome he thought he was. He didn’t think so.
He realized then that there were a lot of things he’d never told Yunho. Like the fact that, if he’d had to get knocked up, he was glad that Yunho was the father. And that despite how miserable he might seem at times, having Yunho there had made the experience a lot easier - and dare he say, enjoyable? - than it would have been had he gone through the pregnancy alone. In fact, he was pretty sure that Yunho was the reason that he’d never regretted his decision to keep the baby, and not just because he’d given Yunho a say in the matter.
You have no idea how lucky you are, his noona had said. That wasn’t true, though. He had a pretty good idea.
Dammit, he swore mentally. When had he fallen in love with Yunho? Wasn’t that just a kick in the ass? It was a good thing he was already lying down or else he might have fallen flat on his face when that annoying little epiphany struck home.
“How are you doing, Jaejoong?” the surgeon asked.
He’d almost forgotten where he was and what was being done to him. Now, as he concentrated on it, he could feel a slight impression, like something was pressing against his skin, but there was no pain to speak of really. The anesthesia was working wonders, making him feel floaty and weightless.
“I’m okay,” he said, his voice reminding him of Darth Vadar in the Star Wars movies. Luke, I am your father, he chuckled to himself. He was sorely tempted to rip the oxygen mask off but thought it best to be as still as possible while he was being sliced open.
“Piercing the amniotic sack now,” the doctor informed them. To his nurse, he added, “Prepare for suction.”
There was a barely audible whoosh that piqued Jaejoong’s curiosity. He was surprised that he wasn’t more anxious by the whole procedure. In fact, he wished he could see what was being done. Had he thought about the actual operation in advance, he might have packed a camera in his baby-bag so that Yunho could film the entire thing. Although…if the death-grip Yunho had on his hand was any indication, he might not have been useful in that area regardless.
“The baby’s coming,” Yunho said in awe.
Jaejoong tried to lift his head and shoulders up but a nurse, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere, pressed him back down.
“Don’t move,” she said tersely.
If he wasn’t wearing the dratted oxygen mask, he would’ve given her the look. As it was, he rolled his eyes and looked up at Yunho instead, becoming fascinated by the reverent pride on his face.
“He’s beautiful,” Yunho whispered.
He?, Jaejoong thought, a second before a baby’s wails filled the room.
“A bouncing baby boy,” the doctor announced. “Let’s get him cleaned up and checked out.”
The minute he heard the baby cry, Jaejoong had an overwhelming urge to see him, to hold him. He almost demanded, “Where’s my baby?!” but the mere thought shocked him into silence. Where had these possessive feelings come from all of a sudden? It wasn’t like him, it wasn’t like him at all.
“Here we go daddy,” a nurse said as she placed the baby in Yunho’s arms.
“Beautiful,” Yunho whispered again. “He looks like you.”
From his position, Jaejoong watched as the wriggling blue bundle was enveloped in Yunho’s strong, dependable grip. He couldn’t see an inch of the child’s flesh but just the sight of Yunho smiling down at the baby, their baby, with tears of joy and love in his eyes had his own eyes misting. What an idiot he’d been to worry about whether he could or would love their child. How could he not when he loved his father so much? And how ignorant of his own feelings had he been all this time to not realize how much he loved Yunho? When he thought of all the time he’d wasted… If he wasn’t already flat on his back and unable to move, he might have kicked his own ass.
Exasperated with himself, he sighed, but the feeling didn’t last long as the silly warm, gooey feelings that beset him when he looked at Yunho pushed his irritation away. A strange thought - by his way of thinking - occurred to him and for a moment he hesitated but he reasoned with himself, weighing the pros and cons, and finally decided that he had nothing to lose. He’d already come this far, he might as well go all the way.
He pushed the mask off with a hand that felt way too disembodied and held the other out to the father of his child.
“Yunho,” he said softly.
Yunho looked down at him, immediately taking the hand that was offered, squeezing it reassuringly.
“Yunho…” he repeated, his mind going hazy for a minute. He gathered himself and forced his mind to concentrate. “Yunho… Yes.”
He saw Yunho frown in confusion, his eyebrows drawing together in a way that he’d always found cute.
“Yes,” he repeated, stressing the word. It was short, to the point, and most importantly, about all that he could manage in that moment as his mind tried to go on vacation again.
Finally, he saw what he assumed was understanding in Yunho’s eyes since a huge grin spread across his face and his fingers linked with Jaejoong’s.
“All done,” the doctor announced, setting his needle aside. “The scarring, if any, should be very minimal. You could always see a plastic surgeon later if it really bothers you.”
Jaejoong didn’t mind the scar. It would be a battle wound of sorts, a reminder of an experience he vowed never to repeat.
“Give me my baby,” he ordered, un-linking his fingers from Yunho’s to hold both arms out for his child.
Chuckling to himself, Yunho placed the child on Jaejoong’s chest, sticking close to his side in case he needed two fully functioning hands.
Jaejoong savored his first look at his son. He was pink and ruddy, as newborns tended to be, with chubby limbs and round cheeks. But he had a full head of midnight-black hair and his eyes… He saw himself in those wide, dark, unseeing eyes.
“He really does look like me,” he murmured.
With Yunho’s help, he shifted the child higher so that he could lay his cheek on top of his head, closing his eyes as he absorbed the warmth that he held. In his embrace, the baby had settled down and he wondered if he was sleeping. Opening his eyes again, he gazed down into that pure, innocent face, unaware of the fierce love that shone in his gaze.
“My beautiful boy. Beautiful, beautiful JaeYun.”
“JaeYun?” Yunho asked in surprise.
Jaejoong returned his gaze, brow arched. “What? You didn’t think we’d call him YunJae, did you? Pfft! As if,” he scoffed.
Yunho laughed. “We’ll talk about it later.”
“Uh, no we won’t.” Jaejoong dropped his gaze back to his baby’s peaceful face, effectively dismissing Yunho. “Daddy doesn’t know it yet but some things just aren’t up for discussion, right baby? If daddy wants to name a baby, he can just go make one for himself, can’t he? Oh, yes, he can,” he crooned. He kissed his son’s brow, sighed contentedly and, closing his eyes, lay his cheek atop his head again.
Yunho laughed again but said nothing. Jaejoong could have his way, he could have anything he wanted. Nothing would ever be more important than the picture of perfection before him. He finally had the one thing he’d always longed for.
His family.
A/N: In my defence, I got really sick halfway through this. Just saying! lol
Author: VampireMadonna
Pairing: YunJae
Rating: PG-13
Length: Part 2/2
Genre: Mpreg
Summary: Jaejoong's knocked up and he isn't too happy about it. Can Yunho change his mind before their baby arrives?
The following morning, Jaejoong strolled around the apartment grumbling to himself, one hand pressed to the small of his back and the other rubbing the huge mound in front of him.
His stomach had started bothering him before he’d gone to bed but he’d assumed that it was merely a bout of indigestion. After all, Yunho had dropped a bombshell just before he fed him.
Fed me? Am I a dog?
Since he’d woken, however, the discomfort and cramping in his stomach had worsened and his back was killing him. Usually kneeding it helped but nothing seemed to work this time.
Finally, fed up of the situation and having come to one startling, scary conclusion, he picked up the phone and called his sister.
“Question,” he said when she answered. “How do you know when you’re in labor?”
He heard an excited gasp on the other end, then, “Oh my God, Joongie, is the baby coming?” followed by a loud screech.
“Calm down, woman! I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking you,” he replied, feeling his irritation grow. What was it with chicks and kids?
“Okay, okay,” she said, sounding a little more subdued. “Um, well, your water breaks. Did your water break?”
“Considering that I don’t have a vagina and all, I can’t conclusively answer that question, can I?” he growled. “It’s not like I can squeeze the kid out of my dick.”
“Geez, you’re such a sourpuss. You know, pregnancy is supposed to soften you, not make you even more of a hardass,” she scolded. “You should’ve gone to those lamaze classes like I told you to.”
Jaejoong’s jaw clenched. “I reiterate: seeing as how I can’t push the kid out of my body, I honestly didn’t see the point.”
“Still calling it “the kid”, I see. Have you still not chosen a name? Really, Joongie, you don’t have much time left. These are things that you’re supposed to settle long before the baby comes.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You and Yunho are like a broken record. “Pick a name, Jaejoong.” “Marry me, Jaejoong.” Stop hounding me, geez!”
“Wait: Yunho asked you to marry him? Again?! Jaejoong, oh my g… That’s wonderful. I’m so happy for you. Yunho is such a great guy. You have no idea how lucky you are.”
“I didn’t say yes,” Jaejoong interrupted, cutting her congratulatory speech short.
“Why not? Don’t you realize that if you keep rejecting him, by the time you figure out that you do love and want to marry him he might have stopped asking? I never took you for a fool, baby brother, don’t start disappointing me now. My niece or nephew deserves to have both parents.”
Shoulders hunching defensively, Jaejoong ignored her words and steered the conversation back on course.
“Can we get back to the reason I called you, please? I’m in a lot of pain, noona. My back is killing me and my stomach’s been punishing me since last night.”
“Okay, okay. Um, what kind of pain are you getting in your belly?”
“Cramps mostly. It’s not constant, just sort of intermittent but excruciating cramps.”
“Since last night, you say? Um, Joongie, I don’t know how to tell you this but I think you’d better get to the hospital. Now,” she stressed.
“Wait, what? Why?”
“Because you are in labor, you idiot. See, if you had gone to the Lamaze classes like I’d told you…”
“Noona…”
“The male ones! The ones for people in your…situation. You’d know what to expect. But no, you always think you know everything.” She was practically screaming at him now.
“What’s there to know? They’re going to slice me open and take the kid out, that’s all.”
“Yes, but if your water broke and there’s nowhere for it to go, what do you think is going to happen to the baby, Jaejoong? Think, dammit.”
He hadn’t thought of that. Oh, God, had the baby… Had it drowned?
“Do you think it…drowned?” he asked, fear washing over him like a tidal wave.
Perhaps realizing that her point had been too well taken, his sister calmed down and said in a gentle voice, “No. If you’re getting cramps then it’s probably still in the early stages. The sack may not have burst yet. But you really should get to the hospital as soon as possible, Jaejoong. Call Yunho, tell him to have them prep for an emergency Caesarian, and take a cab over. I’ll meet you there. I’d come for you but that’d just waste precious time.”
“Okay.”
“Joongie?”
“Yes?”
“It’ll be alright,” she assured. “Being engaged to one of the head surgical residents must have some perks.”
“We’re not engaged,” he grumbled automatically, a flicker of irritation registering through the haze of fear.
Mission accomplished, his sister thought. “See you soon.”
Jaejoong hung up and made his way to the nightmare staircase, surprising himself when he mounted it in less than half his usual time. Motivation, he realized, was key.
His “baby-bag” was already packed, placed within easy reach on the floor of his large closet. He changed into traveling clothes, lamenting the fact that he wouldn’t be able to shave like he’d planned. He didn’t have a vagina but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t be neat and clean. If strangers were going to be gawking at his nude body then he wanted to give them the best view possible.
When he was ready, he slowly made his way back down the staircase, double-checked to make sure that the house was in order, then walked out to the hallway, also double-checking the locks behind him. He strode down the hall to the apartment next door and knocked.
A sweet-looking old woman answered.
“Oh, Jaejoong,” she greeted, her face instantly lighting up. “How are you? I haven’t seen you in a while. I’m sorry, dear, I’ve been meaning to come over but I just got caught up and it must have slipped my mind. You know, when you get to be my age, that happens a lot. One minute the thought is there, the next it’s gone. I’ve been taking memory pills but I can’t yet testify that they’re working. I suppose I’ll know soon enough. You know…”
“Mrs. Park,” Jaejoong interrupted before she started telling him what she’d had for breakfast. “I was wondering if you could take me to the hospital?”
He’d decided that asking a neighbour would be a lot more time efficient than calling a taxi - and Mrs. Park won by default since she was the only one he had any kind of relationship with - but he was starting to reconsider.
Mrs. Park frowned. “The hospital? Is everything alright? Are you hurt?” Her eyes widened as it suddenly clicked in her age-addled brain. “Is the baby coming?”
Jaejoong nodded.
“Well, why didn’t you just say so? You should’ve stopped my ramblings. You know how I carry on if no one stops me before I pick up steam. Let me just get my car keys.”
Five minutes later, Jaejoong was strapped into the passenger seat of Mrs. Park’s little sedan, sending up a mental prayer to whoever was listening, asking that they arrive safely at the hospital. Mrs. Park wasn’t one of those slow-driving grannies, which had also factored into his decision, but he now found himself reconsidering that as well.
Dear Lord, he prayed, I can’t die before Yunho sees his baby.
Yunho.
Speaking of the devil…
Jaejoong dug his phone out and dialed his baby-daddy’s number.
“Jaejoong?” Yunho answered on the first ring. “What’s wrong? Is it the baby? Is…”
“I’m on my way to the hospital,” Jaejoong said calmly. “I think the k…baby’s coming. I’m not 100% sure but I figure since it’s due in a couple of weeks anyway, they may as well take it out now since I’m already going to be there,” he joked.
“I’ll have everything ready. Don’t worry about a thing,” Yunho assured him.
They stayed on the phone and Yunho was at the entrance waiting to help him out of the car when they drove up. Jaejoong was settled into a wheelchair and before he knew it, he was laying in bed in a private room in the VIP section of the hospital.
“You know…,” he began, eyes darting around the elegantly appointed room. The furnishings and wallpaper were mostly pink, which he usually wouldn’t have minded since he had a personal affinity for the color but the abundance of it screamed estrogen which, as he was so fond of pointing out, he lacked. “As much as I appreciate it, it really wasn’t necessary to do all…this. I’d have been perfectly happy in the maternity…uh…paternity…the usual place where people make babies.”
Busy checking his vitals, Yunho’s eyes never left the monitor as he replied, “This is the VIP wing and you’re a VIP. At least to me, anyway.”
“That’s sweet but it’s an unnecessary and, I’m sure, extravagant expense. Kids are already expensive, you know.”
Yunho’s gaze flickered down to meet Jaejoong’s. “I’ll pay for everything, if you’re so concerned about it.”
“I’m a financial adviser, I can’t help myself. And as your financial adviser, I would be remiss if I didn’t look out for your bank account. It’s not too late, you know. The kid’s not here yet.”
Yunho sighed in exasperation. “Jaejoong…Don’t you think it’s time you stopped calling our child that?” He sat beside him on the bed and took his hand. “Please, just once, call him or her your baby. Your child. Our baby, our child. Like you did on the phone. If you said it once, there’s no reason that you can’t say it all the time.”
Jaejoong held back a rude retort. He knew that Yunho was right. He was about to give birth to their child. The time for distancing himself from it was long gone. It was going to be there soon and there was no way he was going to be able to ignore it once it arrived.
Expelling a breath, he asked, “Is the baby coming?”
Yunho glanced back at the monitor. “It’s hard to tell. Your blood pressure’s elevated but that’s normal. Both your and the baby’s hearts are beating normally. Everything was clear on the ultrasound. If this was a normal pregnancy, there’d be a lot more indicators. As it stands, we can only make assumptions.”
Jaejoong sighed. “So, what’s next?”
“How do you feel?” Yunho asked suddenly.
“I’m fine. My back doesn’t hurt anymore, and I’m sure I have the morphine to thank for that. But…” He broke off on a grimace. “My stomach still feels weird. The cramps haven’t stopped at all.”
“Okay. Let me just…”
At that moment, the door opened and a figure walked in, completely suited in surgical scrubs.
“Hello, Yunho. I hear we have a baby to deliver.”
There was a flurry of activity afterward as Jaejoong was transferred to a gurney and wheeled down to a surgical theater. He noticed that Yunho disappeared for a few minutes, just long enough to change into scrubs himself. He was told that his sister and mother had arrived and were anxiously pacing in the waiting room. The thought pacified him somewhat. Not that they were there but that they were most likely worried and afraid for him. As the saying went, misery loves company.
“Okay, Jaejoong,” the head surgeon began, the sound of gloves snapping into place punctuating his words. “Despite the anesthesia, you may still feel some sensation in the area but it shouldn’t be painful. If it is, you let me know immediately. Okay?”
From his position on the table, Jaejoong nodded. The fluorescent light directly overhead burned his corneas so he kept his head turned side to the side but that made the oxygen mask even more uncomfortable and suffocating. He hated wearing masks, always found them constricting, and even though this one was intended to help him breathe better, it was actually triggering his claustrophobia instead.
Kid, you had better be a fucking saint after all this, I swear!
“We’re about to begin, Jaejoong. Just stay calm and breathe deeply.”
He vaguely felt his hand being lifted and looked up to see Yunho standing beside him, smiling gently.
Such a handsome man, he thought. So warm, kind and caring. He had really lucked out. This baby had hit the genetic lottery. Not only was he gorgeous - it wasn’t vanity if it was true - but Yunho was undoubtedly the most attractive man he’d ever been with. He wondered if he’d ever told him how handsome he thought he was. He didn’t think so.
He realized then that there were a lot of things he’d never told Yunho. Like the fact that, if he’d had to get knocked up, he was glad that Yunho was the father. And that despite how miserable he might seem at times, having Yunho there had made the experience a lot easier - and dare he say, enjoyable? - than it would have been had he gone through the pregnancy alone. In fact, he was pretty sure that Yunho was the reason that he’d never regretted his decision to keep the baby, and not just because he’d given Yunho a say in the matter.
You have no idea how lucky you are, his noona had said. That wasn’t true, though. He had a pretty good idea.
Dammit, he swore mentally. When had he fallen in love with Yunho? Wasn’t that just a kick in the ass? It was a good thing he was already lying down or else he might have fallen flat on his face when that annoying little epiphany struck home.
“How are you doing, Jaejoong?” the surgeon asked.
He’d almost forgotten where he was and what was being done to him. Now, as he concentrated on it, he could feel a slight impression, like something was pressing against his skin, but there was no pain to speak of really. The anesthesia was working wonders, making him feel floaty and weightless.
“I’m okay,” he said, his voice reminding him of Darth Vadar in the Star Wars movies. Luke, I am your father, he chuckled to himself. He was sorely tempted to rip the oxygen mask off but thought it best to be as still as possible while he was being sliced open.
“Piercing the amniotic sack now,” the doctor informed them. To his nurse, he added, “Prepare for suction.”
There was a barely audible whoosh that piqued Jaejoong’s curiosity. He was surprised that he wasn’t more anxious by the whole procedure. In fact, he wished he could see what was being done. Had he thought about the actual operation in advance, he might have packed a camera in his baby-bag so that Yunho could film the entire thing. Although…if the death-grip Yunho had on his hand was any indication, he might not have been useful in that area regardless.
“The baby’s coming,” Yunho said in awe.
Jaejoong tried to lift his head and shoulders up but a nurse, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere, pressed him back down.
“Don’t move,” she said tersely.
If he wasn’t wearing the dratted oxygen mask, he would’ve given her the look. As it was, he rolled his eyes and looked up at Yunho instead, becoming fascinated by the reverent pride on his face.
“He’s beautiful,” Yunho whispered.
He?, Jaejoong thought, a second before a baby’s wails filled the room.
“A bouncing baby boy,” the doctor announced. “Let’s get him cleaned up and checked out.”
The minute he heard the baby cry, Jaejoong had an overwhelming urge to see him, to hold him. He almost demanded, “Where’s my baby?!” but the mere thought shocked him into silence. Where had these possessive feelings come from all of a sudden? It wasn’t like him, it wasn’t like him at all.
“Here we go daddy,” a nurse said as she placed the baby in Yunho’s arms.
“Beautiful,” Yunho whispered again. “He looks like you.”
From his position, Jaejoong watched as the wriggling blue bundle was enveloped in Yunho’s strong, dependable grip. He couldn’t see an inch of the child’s flesh but just the sight of Yunho smiling down at the baby, their baby, with tears of joy and love in his eyes had his own eyes misting. What an idiot he’d been to worry about whether he could or would love their child. How could he not when he loved his father so much? And how ignorant of his own feelings had he been all this time to not realize how much he loved Yunho? When he thought of all the time he’d wasted… If he wasn’t already flat on his back and unable to move, he might have kicked his own ass.
Exasperated with himself, he sighed, but the feeling didn’t last long as the silly warm, gooey feelings that beset him when he looked at Yunho pushed his irritation away. A strange thought - by his way of thinking - occurred to him and for a moment he hesitated but he reasoned with himself, weighing the pros and cons, and finally decided that he had nothing to lose. He’d already come this far, he might as well go all the way.
He pushed the mask off with a hand that felt way too disembodied and held the other out to the father of his child.
“Yunho,” he said softly.
Yunho looked down at him, immediately taking the hand that was offered, squeezing it reassuringly.
“Yunho…” he repeated, his mind going hazy for a minute. He gathered himself and forced his mind to concentrate. “Yunho… Yes.”
He saw Yunho frown in confusion, his eyebrows drawing together in a way that he’d always found cute.
“Yes,” he repeated, stressing the word. It was short, to the point, and most importantly, about all that he could manage in that moment as his mind tried to go on vacation again.
Finally, he saw what he assumed was understanding in Yunho’s eyes since a huge grin spread across his face and his fingers linked with Jaejoong’s.
“All done,” the doctor announced, setting his needle aside. “The scarring, if any, should be very minimal. You could always see a plastic surgeon later if it really bothers you.”
Jaejoong didn’t mind the scar. It would be a battle wound of sorts, a reminder of an experience he vowed never to repeat.
“Give me my baby,” he ordered, un-linking his fingers from Yunho’s to hold both arms out for his child.
Chuckling to himself, Yunho placed the child on Jaejoong’s chest, sticking close to his side in case he needed two fully functioning hands.
Jaejoong savored his first look at his son. He was pink and ruddy, as newborns tended to be, with chubby limbs and round cheeks. But he had a full head of midnight-black hair and his eyes… He saw himself in those wide, dark, unseeing eyes.
“He really does look like me,” he murmured.
With Yunho’s help, he shifted the child higher so that he could lay his cheek on top of his head, closing his eyes as he absorbed the warmth that he held. In his embrace, the baby had settled down and he wondered if he was sleeping. Opening his eyes again, he gazed down into that pure, innocent face, unaware of the fierce love that shone in his gaze.
“My beautiful boy. Beautiful, beautiful JaeYun.”
“JaeYun?” Yunho asked in surprise.
Jaejoong returned his gaze, brow arched. “What? You didn’t think we’d call him YunJae, did you? Pfft! As if,” he scoffed.
Yunho laughed. “We’ll talk about it later.”
“Uh, no we won’t.” Jaejoong dropped his gaze back to his baby’s peaceful face, effectively dismissing Yunho. “Daddy doesn’t know it yet but some things just aren’t up for discussion, right baby? If daddy wants to name a baby, he can just go make one for himself, can’t he? Oh, yes, he can,” he crooned. He kissed his son’s brow, sighed contentedly and, closing his eyes, lay his cheek atop his head again.
Yunho laughed again but said nothing. Jaejoong could have his way, he could have anything he wanted. Nothing would ever be more important than the picture of perfection before him. He finally had the one thing he’d always longed for.
His family.
A/N: In my defence, I got really sick halfway through this. Just saying! lol