Chapter 61 - Welcome To The World!

Kevan Donagh Taylor-Kinney
Born: September 6, at 9:27 am
7.4 Lbs (3,350 grams), 22 in.

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It had all happened WAY too fast. Justin was sitting in a chair next to Brian's bed, holding their brand new baby boy, Kevan, and he still wasn't completely sure how he got here. He'd been so amazed, overwhelmed and dumbstruck from the moment the doctor handed him the baby in the operating room that everything that had happened since was blurry and confusing.

Justin had snapshot pictures in his brain of disjointed moments from the rest of the morning - cutting the umbilical cord, watching while the doctor gave the baby its first exam and pronounced him healthy, Brian smiling up at him while he held the baby so the new dad could get a better view of his newborn, Daphne rushing into the operating room and shouting 'Damn!' just as Chiefy was pulling off her gloves after it was all over. But the moments in between the snapshots were just a blurry whirl of colors, sounds and exhilarating new experiences.

Now, for the first time since Brian's cereal bowl had spilled onto the counter that morning, everything was once again quiet and calm. Brian was dozing in the bed next to him. Justin was sitting in the large, comfy padded rocking recliner which had been pulled closer to the bed. In his arms was a sleepy little bundle of blankets that every so often would wriggle, yawn and make little sucking noises. Amidst the blankets were  occasional glimpses of silky light brown hair, a slightly smooshed little face complete with Justin's nose and Brian's ears and, when the tiny squinted eyes flashed open briefly, dark blue eyes. It was surreal. It couldn't be. Was it all a crazy dream? Was this really happening?

"Oh, fuck!" Justin said aloud in a slightly too loud voice that startled both the sleeping dad and the sleeping bundle of blankets. "I have a baby!"

Brian chuckled at the astonished look on the young blond's face. "That is the exact same thing I said when Gus was born. But, you're wrong, Sunshine. YOU don't have a baby. WE have a baby - don't write me off yet."

"No. . . No, I'm not, Brian," Justin stammered, trying to clarify his chaotic thoughts so he could put them into words. "It's just that I can't believe that I have a BABY! I'm only fucking eighteen. I just started college last week. And now I have a baby. How the hell did this happen?"

"I'll try and explain again, Jus," Daphne replied, entering the room just as her best friend asked the question, and handing over a soda to the wondering youth. "But this time, you better pay attention. . . First the stork flies over the house carrying a big bundle of blankets in its beak. ." Daphne started in on her explanation, but stopped when Brian threw his pillow at her.

"Hey, you two, shut up! Can't you see there's a recently traumatized, newly-delivered father here trying to rest?" Brian complained with simulated fury, which was completely belied by the happy little grin he couldn't quite wipe off his face.

"Well, you're going to have to get over it, Brian, and fast. I just came in to give you a warning," Daphne explained. "Prepare for the invasion. Everybody - and I DO mean EVERYBODY - is here and waiting to come see you. I told them all to wait ten more minutes so I could give you a head's up first. But, I can't hold them back for much longer. So, put on your 'Happy Daddy' faces and prepare to meet your fans, Mr. Taylor and Mr. Kinney."

"Shit. Well, I guess we should just get it over with. Ready, Sunshine?" Brian asked as he pushed the button that raised up the head of his bed. "Okay, Daphne. Let them in. But no more than twenty at a time!"

Daphne got up to go give the nurse who'd been holding back the family the 'All's Clear'. The two of them had been helping the hastily arranged hospital security team sort out the family and friends that really were allowed to visit from the hordes of strangers, reporters and other busybodies who had tried to get into the hospital as soon as the news got out that Brian had delivered. From what Daph could see out the front windows of the hospital atrium, there appeared to be a large and gleeful mob outside the main entrance. She was just glad that they didn't have to brave that throng for at least a few more days.

"Okay, Sandy," Daphne announced to the charge nurse. "The Dads said they're ready. But, be ready to shoo them out again pretty soon. I can't see Brian's good mood lasting too much longer. Those drugs have got to be wearing off."

Back in the room there was a moment of utter pandemonium. It was a miracle that so many people could actually fit in one tiny room. Debbie, Vic, Emmett, Ted, Michael, Ben, Lindsay, Melanie and big brother Gus were all there. Jennifer and Molly were there to represent Justin. Cynthia had come to see the baby as well, but she was less pushy about it than the others. However, after the almost-fight between the two grandmas over who would get to hold the baby first was resolved by Ted tossing a coin - Jennifer won and beamed her excitement at the loser, Debbie - most everyone else was content to patiently wait their turn.

While the baby was getting passed around amongst his assembled worshippers like a football at a college bowl game, those who were still awaiting their baby-handling turn hugged and kissed and fawned over the two Dads. There were a couple of dicey moments when Brian accepted greetings from Michael and Lindsay - who he was seeing for the first time since he'd tried to throw her and Mikey out of his office before passing out a couple of weeks earlier - but everyone pretended to ignore the awkwardness. It helped that Brian immediately focused in on Gus, demanding that the boy be seated next to him in the big bed before he'd even said hello to anyone else. Justin gave up his seat to Jennifer and instead hovered over Brian from a spot beside the bed. He scrutinized everyone that approached warily, as if Brian was the president and he was a secret service agent determined to spot some terrorist carrying bombs.

Except for the dueling grandmas, everyone seemed to be on their best behavior. Either that, or no one was willing to take on Justin. Emmett was the only one that cried when he finally got his turn to hold the newborn. The visiting went by noisily but without any major incidents.

After everyone else had a turn holding Baby Kevan, the infant was finally placed back in Brian's arms and the proud papa introduced his two sons. Gus, being the curious one year old that he was, immediately tried to poke Kevan's eye out. When he was deterred from that at the last moment, he tried to put Kevan's little fist in his own mouth. Finally, though, Gus was persuaded to simply pat the baby on the head, relatively gently, while every camera in the room snapped about a hundred photos of the two siblings together.

But, since a toddler's attention span is exceedingly short, Gus wasn't entertained by that for too long. When he had had enough of this new toy, he pushed the baby off his lap - thankfully Brian was holding onto to the infant at the time - and declared he was 'All Done'. He then attempted to crawl off the edge of the high mechanical bed, and was caught just before he fell by his Mama.

Which is when Nurse Sandy wisely stepped in and advised that the visit had been long enough and the fathers needed to rest. She expertly shooed everyone except Daphne out and told them to come back, in smaller numbers please, tomorrow. Cynthia held back just long enough to get Brian's approval on the press release she was going to issue to the teeming media announcing the baby's successful delivery.

As soon as the room was emptied out again, Daphne got that mischievous look on her little pixie face and turned to pick up a gift bag she'd stashed out of the way. "Congrats, you two! I wasn't sure you'd both make it this far without killing each other, but, since you proved me wrong, I brought us a little something to celebrate with," Daphne handed the gift bag to Brian with a smile. "Although, since you went and had the baby before I GOT here, I'm not sure you deserve that. . . "

"Poor Daphne," Brian kidded her as he accepted the tall bag. "I'm so sorry that the amniotic sac ruptured, causing me to bleed internally and driving me into early labor without your prior permission. Next time I get miraculously pregnant, I'll make sure I do everything exactly to your time schedule."

"You better!" Daph demanded with a giggle and then looked concerned. "Is that what happened this morning?"

"That's what Chiefy said after she finished stapling me up," Brian advised, seeming more concerned with unveiling his present than his could-have-been-fatal complication. "It's a good thing 'Desi' here didn't forget me again this time. The doctor said that we probably made it here just in time. I knew that something inside tore when I stood up, but I had no idea it was that bad."

"Thankfully, I didn't either," Justin agreed. "I would have definitely started panicking if I'd known that. There's no way I would have been able to drive you here or managed to wait around patiently until Chiefy finally arrived."

"You call THAT waiting patiently, Sunshine? I thought you were going to give that silly receptionist down at the front desk an aneurism, you were so demanding and pushy!" Brian laughed at the put upon look his blond was giving him.

When Brian had finally unearthed the surprise Daphne had brought, he held up the still chilled bottle of champagne with a big grin. "Yes! I can finally drink again! Oh, Daphne, you are my new favorite person! Thank you. But, for future reference, I prefer scotch over champagne. However, I'm not going to be picky right now."

"Only a half a glass for you, Stud," Justin advised as he placed Kevan back in the hospital bassinet and hurried over to supervise Daphne in the serving of the celebratory libations. "If you're going to try breast feeding, you really shouldn't drink. Besides, you're still on fuck knows how many different medications, so not too much alcohol. There could be serious negative drug interactions."

"Thank you, Mr. Public Service Announcement," Brian teased and pulled out the small package of red Solo cups that were lurking in the bottom of the gift bag. "Fill me up, Daph! I don't give a fuck what I'm on. After the morning I just had I deserve a drink."

Daphne popped the cork on the bubbly bottle without wasting a drop. Then she poured out out three cups and handed Brian the one that was least full. Brian looked in his half empty glass and then poked his tongue out at Justin for quashing all his fun.

"To Brian, Justin and Kevan!" Daphne interrupted the impending disagreement with a toast. "Welcome to the world, baby!"

In spite of his protests to the contrary, Brian just sipped sparingly at his drink. It was easy to see that the man was tired and probably starting to feel some twinges of pain as the spinal block started to wear off. There were crinkles of pain at the corners of his eyes when he set aside his almost untouched glass and gingerly laid back against the pillow.

"Hey, Sunshine, have you eaten anything yet today?" Brian asked as he watched the youth sipping at his own glass of bubbly. "Why don't you take Daphne down to the cafeteria and get yourselves some lunch? I'm kinda tired. I think I need a short nap." He yawned as soon as his sentence ended.

"Okay, if you're sure you'll be alright," Justin readily agreed, his empty stomach growling at the mere mention of food. " Do you want me to have them take the baby to the nursery?"

"No. Kevan and I'll be just fine here together. You guys get out of here and let us sleep." Brian said, turning carefully onto his side so he could look over at the baby's bassinet as he drifted off to sleep.

Justin bent over, brushed the soft auburn hair away from Brian's forehead and left him a tender little kiss on his temple before heading out the door after Daphne. The soft, barely-there touch of Justin's lips made Brian's heart swell with some, almost alien, emotion. Brian had never felt this much affection for anyone before. He almost called out to Justin not to leave him. He wanted to keep both his boys near him. There was a closeness to this man that he'd never felt before with anyone else. Brian wasn't sure what these emotions were, but he liked the warmth inside him that they generated.

Brian was too exhausted to stay awake long enough to analyze these feelings - assuming he was even the type to engage in such fruitless endeavors. But, as he drifted off to sleep, Brian did acknowledge the huge amount of respect he felt for the young blond. They had always had a special affinity for each other. It had been apparent from the very first night they'd met, and it was the primary reason he'd bothered to go back to the needy teen in spite of all his 'rules'. Somehow, though, this feeling was more intense, more psychically piercing, than plain old affection. Brian fell asleep to the bottomless need to keep Justin near to him forevermore.

Brian awoke several hours later to the sight of Justin asleep in the large recliner with the baby clutched to his chest in the crook of his arm. The sweetness of the image pierced Brian's heart with an abrupt stab. He was again overwhelmed with a sense of possessiveness about the two boys. He tried to shake the strange emotions out of his head, but it was too late. Brian Kinney knew he was teetering on the precipice of something he'd avoided all his life - an emotion he couldn't even name out loud was taking over his soul, whispering that maybe, possibly, he might have discovered that he was . . . In love.

Thankfully, before Brian completely lost himself in the totally lesbionic sentiments, there was a businesslike knock at the door and, without waiting for an answer, a kind-faced older black woman strode into the room. She was shorter than average, slightly plump with a bounteous bosom, and had dark grey hair pulled up into a bun at the nape of her neck. If it weren't for the dark blue scrub shirt the woman was wearing, Brian might have mistaken her for someone's granny.

"Mr. Kinney?" the woman asked as she strode purposefully into the room. "I'm one of the Lactation Specialists here at Allegheny. Your doctor requested that I stop in and help you get started with breast feeding your new son. Is this a good time?"

Brian looked like he was about to tell the sweet lady 'No - it wasn't a good time'. As far as he was concerned, he didn't think there'd EVER be a good time to discuss this particular topic. He'd long since come to grips with being pregnant. He thought he'd even gotten used to the idea of being a full-time parent. Brian was sure he'd never seen anything as beautiful as little Kevan. He was determined to be the best father it was possible to be. But . . . He definitely hadn't resigned himself to the idea of breast feeding. It was just way too far outside his comfort zone.

"I don't . . ." Brian started to politely tell the kindly grandmother that he wasn't interested.

"This is the PERFECT time," Justin's enthusiastic voice overrode Brian's quiet protest. "Please come in. I'm Justin and this is Kevan," Justin proudly held up his son for the requisite admiration due to the baby from all who entered the hospital room. "Kevan really wants his daddy to try breast feeding, but I don't think his daddy is thrilled with the idea. We're hoping you can help get him started off."

"Of course I can! Now, you boys can just call me 'Nana' - everybody does," the woman announced as she came further into the room and started rearranging Brian without compunction. "I've been working as a nurse for going on twenty years now. I've got four kids of my own and three grandkids already. I know everything there is to know about being pregnant and breast feeding, Honeychild - although I've never had to coach a man before - and I can assure you that you aren't the first person I've dealt with who's a little shy about the process. But, before I'm done you'll feel like a pro."

Nana had the head of Brian's bed up as straight as she could get it. Then she started piling up pillows on his lap and under his left arm. Next, she put one arm around Brian's chest for support, used her other arm to lean his body forward and unashamedly started to undo the ties holding Brian's hospital gown closed. This all happened so quickly that Brian didn't have a chance to stop her.

"Well, now, for a man you got some nice breasts there, child. This is going to be so much easier than you would think. It's gonna come natural to you and you'll be so much closer to your little boy after you start," Nana declared as she bared Brian's chest completely. "Now, Daddy #2," she waved at Justin, "you bring that sweet little baby around here and give him to me. You, Daddy #1," Nana indicated Brian, "just relax and let Nana get you set up."

"But. . . " Brian finally remembered how to speak up and was about to protest being manhandled by this tiny, officious woman.

"You just hush now! Don't be giving me no 'buts', Child. I know what I'm doing. Now, you're a big guy, Daddy #1, so I think you'd have an easier time with the football hold rather than the traditional nursing pose," Nana directed as she took Kevan from Justin's arms and laid him down on the pillows arranged along Brian's left side with the baby's body tucked under Brian's arm and his head lying just under his left nipple. "See, you hold the baby just like you would a football, in one arm at your side. Is that comfortable?" she asked but didn't really give Brian a chance to respond.

"Now, you just hold the baby's head up and he should naturally latch on to the nipple - it's instinct in them," Nana advised.

When Brian didn't immediately comply with her directions, she simply reached over and grabbed his swollen breast with her left hand and, with her right hand, lifted up Brian's arm, raising the baby's head at the same time, and basically shoved the nipple into the baby's mouth. Kevan's little mouth opened and closed a couple times without really doing much. He was looking up at Brian with his dark blue eyes seeming a little confused. That look of confusion was mirrored by his Daddy.

Then, it was like something inside the tiny infant's brain clicked and he quickly figured out exactly what he was supposed to do. The baby's sweet little bowed lips clamped down on Brian's nipple and he sucked the tender flesh into his little mouth hard, causing Brian to suck in a gulp of air at the oddness of the feeling. Without further instruction, the baby started to suck, moving his chin up and down and pulling in the nipple with the strength of a vacuum cleaner hose.

"See, what did I tell you!" Nana's gleeful approval rang out. "Like I said, you're a natural at this, Child. Now, we'll let this sweet little thing work at that side for about ten minutes or so and then I'll show you how to move him over to the other side. You should always try to get him to nurse on both sides as evenly as possible or you'll end up with one breast uncomfortably full. And, make sure you switch off which side you start on every time so you're giving both breasts equal time."

Nana went on cheerfully explaining all the ins and outs of breast feeding while Kevan supped and Brian looked down at himself with sheer incredulity. This was NOT a position the Stud had ever pictured himself in. It was utterly bizarre. How the fuck did this happen to him? What would anyone who saw him now say? Being pregnant itself had been a big enough adjustment. He'd even resigned himself to admitting to everyone that he wasn't the ultimate, exclusive top he'd always portrayed himself as. But, how the fuck would he ever be able to show his face if anyone found out that Brian Fucking Kinney had tits and was breast feeding? It was inconceivable.

"Right now, you aren't producing real breast milk, just colostrum," Nana was explaining when Brian was finally able to concentrate on the conversation again. "Colostrum is important though - it's full of antibodies that the baby will need to keep him healthy until his own immune system kicks in. It's also super high in protein and lower in fat so his digestive system, which is still delicate, can handle it and get him the most nutrition possible."

Since it had been almost ten minutes now, Nana got up out of the chair where she'd been sitting and went back to the nursing pair. "Time to switch to the other side, Child," Nana declared, reaching in to grab the baby away from Brian. Kevan didn't think he was done yet, though, and kept up the suction on Brian's nipple even while he was being pulled away. This didn't faze the unabashed nurse in the least - Nana just took her index finger and stuck it into the side of the baby's mouth, eliciting a little 'pop' as the suction was broken and allowing her to pull the baby off that breast so he could be moved around to the other side.

Kevan's tiny mouth didn't stop making the little sucking motions as the woman efficiently rearranged the pillows on Brian's right side and then plopped the baby down at the other breast. Brian still hadn't said a word. He just looked on with a dazed expression as Nana grabbed his right breast and shoved it into the baby's mouth. Kevan latched on right away this time without so much as a break in his sucking.

"There, now. See, you've got this down, no trouble at all," Nana smiled indulgently down at her semi-unwilling pupil. "I'll just leave you be now since you're doing so well on your own. I'll stop in again tomorrow just to make sure you aren't having any problems. If you need me for anything in the meantime, you just have Sandy page me, okay? It's been a pleasure. Bye-bye, boys!"

With a whirl the grandmotherly woman was out of the room and the two men were left staring at the closed door. Justin was impressed with the no-nonsense approach the nurse had exhibited. He was sure that was the only reason that Brian was now sitting in bed actually breast feeding their son. He smiled at the endearing sight and started to reach into his pocket to grab his camera phone.

"There will be NO pictures of this, Sunshine," Brian stopped him, apparently reading his young partner's mind. When it looked like Justin was going to argue the point, Brian held up his free hand in a 'stop' gesture. "No! I mean it, Justin. NO pictures. And don't bother arguing. We're not going to even TALK about this part."

Justin wisely dropped his cell phone and sat back without saying a single word. He would just have to take another mental snapshot of the beautiful scene. He figured he could always paint the image later, even without a picture.

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