"Oh, dear god, he looks like Joel?" Ellie asks and she's being a little over the top, Joel thinks, in the way she presses her hand against her chest like it physically pains her to hear that. But maybe they're all being a little ridiculous, he realizes, their adrenaline, their excitement, all of it bubbling over and ending up with this interaction, all five of them reacting in their own ways to this amazing news. "If he looks like Joel, you're absolutely doomed, Spencer. You have no idea how hard it was to look at a little boy with those big eyes and curls and tell him no whenever he was being bad. You're probably going to have to leave all the discipline to Joel, he'll won't be quite as affected by someone who looks just like him, but you're going to be in terrible trouble."
"Ugh, he looks like Joel," Charlotte says, rolling her eyes playfully. "That's seriously disappointing."
"Charlie," Ellie snaps and Charlotte's eyes widen as if she's just been terribly reprimanded.
"What?" she asks. "It is disappointing. Have you seen Spencer and Erin together? They'd make like, a model perfect child with those cheekbones and their jaws. Joel's fine or whatever, it's not like he's hideous, but Spencer is way better looking. I mean, no offense," she adds a second later, catching sight of the incredulous expression Joel is wearing. Not because he's bothered by his sister saying he's not hideous, but because he's surprised to hear her say Spencer is better looking. He agrees with her entirely, he thinks Spencer is far more beautiful a man than Joel really deserves, but he's just never heard Charlotte say anything like that.
"Well, she's certainly not wrong," he says a second later, when he finally feels like he's actually caught up with the conversation. Most of his mind is still back there with Dane and he finds he's having a hard time following what everyone else is saying, but at this he reaches down and takes hold of Spencer's hand squeezing it lightly. "I would have been more than simply just doomed if he looked like Spencer."
"Well, I'm sure you made a beautiful baby," Ellie says, as if she still has to defend her son and he laughs, suddenly feeling lighter and better and happier than he thinks he ever has before.
"I think we did okay," he agrees, but he's still looking at Spencer. Maybe it isn't traditional, maybe Dane isn't biologically part of both of them, but that doesn't matter. They're both going to love him with all their hearts and he's always going to know it. He's never going to doubt that his daddies adore him, would do anything for him, will protect him and support him and hold his hand when he needs them to. No matter what he looks like, no matter who he takes after, no matter what sort of personality quirks he develops, he's theirs and nothing will ever change that.
"Come on," he says, moving back in the direction of the room. "The doctor said you can all meet him once they get him cleaned up and weighed. She said it would only take a few minutes, so they're probably all ready for us by now." And he knows his mother has to practically be itching to hold the baby if her expression is anything to go by. He's not sure he's ever seen anyone look quite so impatient.
And so he leads them back toward the room they've been assigned. Erin has been moved by the time they get there, likely to recovery and he wishes they could see her again, but he knows they'll have to give her some time to herself. She's given then such a great gift and he's so grateful to her, but he also knows she's been through a lot in the past day and a half.
"Where is he?" Charlotte demands, looking around the empty room. "I was promised an adorable nephew and I don't see a damn thing."
"He's here," the nurse says as she comes back into the room, wheeling a little bassinet in front of her. In it Dane is swaddled in a little white sheet that's covered in tiny yellow stars and Joel feels himself tearing up all over again just at the sight of him.
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"Ugh, he looks like Joel," Charlotte says, rolling her eyes playfully. "That's seriously disappointing."
"Charlie," Ellie snaps and Charlotte's eyes widen as if she's just been terribly reprimanded.
"What?" she asks. "It is disappointing. Have you seen Spencer and Erin together? They'd make like, a model perfect child with those cheekbones and their jaws. Joel's fine or whatever, it's not like he's hideous, but Spencer is way better looking. I mean, no offense," she adds a second later, catching sight of the incredulous expression Joel is wearing. Not because he's bothered by his sister saying he's not hideous, but because he's surprised to hear her say Spencer is better looking. He agrees with her entirely, he thinks Spencer is far more beautiful a man than Joel really deserves, but he's just never heard Charlotte say anything like that.
"Well, she's certainly not wrong," he says a second later, when he finally feels like he's actually caught up with the conversation. Most of his mind is still back there with Dane and he finds he's having a hard time following what everyone else is saying, but at this he reaches down and takes hold of Spencer's hand squeezing it lightly. "I would have been more than simply just doomed if he looked like Spencer."
"Well, I'm sure you made a beautiful baby," Ellie says, as if she still has to defend her son and he laughs, suddenly feeling lighter and better and happier than he thinks he ever has before.
"I think we did okay," he agrees, but he's still looking at Spencer. Maybe it isn't traditional, maybe Dane isn't biologically part of both of them, but that doesn't matter. They're both going to love him with all their hearts and he's always going to know it. He's never going to doubt that his daddies adore him, would do anything for him, will protect him and support him and hold his hand when he needs them to. No matter what he looks like, no matter who he takes after, no matter what sort of personality quirks he develops, he's theirs and nothing will ever change that.
"Come on," he says, moving back in the direction of the room. "The doctor said you can all meet him once they get him cleaned up and weighed. She said it would only take a few minutes, so they're probably all ready for us by now." And he knows his mother has to practically be itching to hold the baby if her expression is anything to go by. He's not sure he's ever seen anyone look quite so impatient.
And so he leads them back toward the room they've been assigned. Erin has been moved by the time they get there, likely to recovery and he wishes they could see her again, but he knows they'll have to give her some time to herself. She's given then such a great gift and he's so grateful to her, but he also knows she's been through a lot in the past day and a half.
"Where is he?" Charlotte demands, looking around the empty room. "I was promised an adorable nephew and I don't see a damn thing."
"He's here," the nurse says as she comes back into the room, wheeling a little bassinet in front of her. In it Dane is swaddled in a little white sheet that's covered in tiny yellow stars and Joel feels himself tearing up all over again just at the sight of him.