"We'll get him cleaned up and weighed and measured," the nurse promises as the doctor returns her attention to Erin. Joel flashes her a smile again and he doesn't want to leave her, but he knows this is an unusual situation, that things aren't quite the same as they would be if Erin was going to be taking Dane home. There's a part of Joel that almost wants to panic at that, that wants to sit down and figure out the logistics as they stand right now, because he and Spencer don't require a hospital room, it's not necessary for them to stay overnight, but he doesn't know if the doctor is going to be willing to release Dane right away either. He's still a little bit of an early arrival and Joel wants to figure out the details right now, but he knows that's ridiculous. Everything will work out just fine, they're not going to force Joel and Spencer to leave their new baby completely unattended in the hospital for days. Something will be worked out for them.
"By the time you get back here with your parents, Dane will be ready to meet them," the nurse promises as she hustles away with the baby, and Joel feels something clench tight in his chest. It's enough to cause him physical pain and he lifts his hand, rubbing two fingers against his breastbone before he's finally able to look away. He reaches for Spencer's hand, threading his fingers with his husband's before he forces himself to take a deep breath and head for the door. Everything is going to be just fine, they're not going to be separated from Dane forever if they allow the nurses to clean him up.
But he still can't quite seem to catch his breath as he and Spencer head toward the waiting room to collect his parents. His chest feels tight and he keeps glancing back down the hall as if he can hope to catch a glimpse of Dane. They've taken him away, though, somewhere to do everything they need to do, and Joel's heart is pounding hard enough in his chest that it actually hurts. What if they've decided they're not good enough for the baby? What if they're decided Erin has to keep him, Joel and Spencer can't possibly be allowed to raise him? What if they're going to take him away?
He's in the midst of opening his mouth to voice these concerns to Spencer -- even though he knows he shouldn't -- when he's hit hard from the side, a pair of very thin, very strong arms wrapping around his midsection and tightening enough that his breath whooshes out of him with a loud sound.
"Are you daddies?" Charlotte asks, tilting her head up, her chin against Joel's shoulder. "Is it a boy or a girl? What did you name it? I want to know everything. I want to meet it. I want to stop referring to your baby as an it, so you better start spilling the details really soon here, brother, or something violent might happen."
She punches Joel's shoulder anyway as she releases him, then smiles sweetly when Ellie and Brian join them.
"Ow," he protests, rolling his shoulder, unwilling to let go of Spencer's hand even long enough to rub the place she's punched him. With his family here, suddenly all those worries that had been plaguing him for the walk down the hall seem to have disappeared. "We have a little boy. Dane."
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"By the time you get back here with your parents, Dane will be ready to meet them," the nurse promises as she hustles away with the baby, and Joel feels something clench tight in his chest. It's enough to cause him physical pain and he lifts his hand, rubbing two fingers against his breastbone before he's finally able to look away. He reaches for Spencer's hand, threading his fingers with his husband's before he forces himself to take a deep breath and head for the door. Everything is going to be just fine, they're not going to be separated from Dane forever if they allow the nurses to clean him up.
But he still can't quite seem to catch his breath as he and Spencer head toward the waiting room to collect his parents. His chest feels tight and he keeps glancing back down the hall as if he can hope to catch a glimpse of Dane. They've taken him away, though, somewhere to do everything they need to do, and Joel's heart is pounding hard enough in his chest that it actually hurts. What if they've decided they're not good enough for the baby? What if they're decided Erin has to keep him, Joel and Spencer can't possibly be allowed to raise him? What if they're going to take him away?
He's in the midst of opening his mouth to voice these concerns to Spencer -- even though he knows he shouldn't -- when he's hit hard from the side, a pair of very thin, very strong arms wrapping around his midsection and tightening enough that his breath whooshes out of him with a loud sound.
"Are you daddies?" Charlotte asks, tilting her head up, her chin against Joel's shoulder. "Is it a boy or a girl? What did you name it? I want to know everything. I want to meet it. I want to stop referring to your baby as an it, so you better start spilling the details really soon here, brother, or something violent might happen."
She punches Joel's shoulder anyway as she releases him, then smiles sweetly when Ellie and Brian join them.
"Ow," he protests, rolling his shoulder, unwilling to let go of Spencer's hand even long enough to rub the place she's punched him. With his family here, suddenly all those worries that had been plaguing him for the walk down the hall seem to have disappeared. "We have a little boy. Dane."