Angelo walked in with a bouquet, setting it down on the small table by the bed. I smiled up at him and he chuckled. “You look shattered.”
I shrugged, glancing at Frank, who was sleeping soundly. “I am. It's a boy, by the way.”
“Congrats,” Angelo smiled, pulling an extra chair up. “So what's with the bigger room and stuff?”
I sighed and rubbed Frank's leg, looking down at him worriedly. “He's really exhausted and his vitamin levels and everything are all over the place, so they brought him in here. They think he’ll take a week or two to recover...as for the baby, they're thinking more like three. His heartbeat is still irregular and they want to get him healthy before they send him home.”
Angelo nodded. “That's good, really. He's getting the care he needs, and you guys have time to look for a place. You really ought to have your own.”
I laughed quietly. “You just don't want a baby screaming in the middle of the night.”
“That is true, but I do really think that if you're having this family, you need to be more...of a unit. Y’know? Your own family.”
I smiled and played with Frank's hair gently. “Yeah. I'll start looking tonight.”
Frank suddenly stirred and whined. I kissed his forehead softly, trying to soothe him back to sleep, without luck. He grabbed at me tiredly, yawning.
“You're adorable,” I mumbled, hugging him tightly and kissing his cheeks. “They're gonna bring the baby in soon, to see us. Won't that be great?”
Frank brightened up and giggled, nodding quickly. “Mhm. And some food.”
I laughed and gestured to Angelo where he stood behind me. “Someone might have brought takeout.”
“Mac and cheese?” Frank asked hopefully. I frowned. “Actually, I think I might have forgotten-”
He slapped my knee. “I'm hungry!”
Angelo laughed and handed over the box and a spoon, smiling at me as Frank tore it open and started eating hungrily. He'd just polished it off when a nurse knocked on the door. I hurried over and opened it, my eyes widening. Bundled up in a white blanket was a tiny baby - our baby. I carefully took him from the nurse, carrying him over to see Frank. I wasn't sure what reaction the baby would get, so I sat down on the edge of the bed and gently lowered the little bundle into his arms. Frank's face lit up and the baby gurgled.
I grinned and wrapped an arm around Frank's shoulders, stroking the baby's cheek with my spare hand. Frank kissed his forehead, giggling happily as his own eyes filled with tears.
Angelo leaned over. “Holy crap, that's a cute baby,” he chuckled, squeezing my shoulder. I couldn't stop smiling, tilting Frank's chin up and kissing him softly. “We did it,” I mumbled.

---

I walked into Frank's room, smiling at him as he waved sleepily. “Hey. How're you feeling today?”
I sat down on the edge of the bed, holding one of his hands. He shrugged. “Sore. Sleepy. Much the same as yesterday.”
I leaned down and kissed his lips briefly. “You'll be out of here soon and then I can pamper you.”
Frank chuckled and stroked my cheek. “Sounds perfect.”
I nodded and rubbed his side slowly. “I've found us the perfect place...do you want me to go ahead and put a deposit on it, or do you wanna wait and see it first?”
He smiled and shrugged. “I trust you, sweetie. Put a deposit down and then we can be all ready to move in when I leave here, yeah?”
I laid down next to him, running a hand down his chest. “M’kay. Any news on the baby?”
Frank sighed. “Still has a weak heart, they're trying to get it stronger with some medicine, but he may just be that way forever. It's not critical right now, but we’ll need to monitor his cholesterol for most of his life.”
I nodded and took Frank's hand, playing with his fingers. “We still have to name him.”
He laughed and nuzzled the side of my neck. “Yeah, we do. Not after my dad.”
I smiled sadly and stroked Frank's hair slowly. “Of course not, baby,” I murmured, kissing him again. “And we have to think about last names as well.”
Frank shook his head. “I want just Way. I wanna take your name someday.”
I blinked and felt a lump form in my throat. “Really?”
He giggled and kissed my nose. “Yep. I love you, Geebear. You saved my life.”
I frowned and wrapped an arm around him. “I wouldn't say that, lovey..”
Frank sighed and took my hand. “When you showed up at the bar...I was kinda ready to find my own way out, y’know? Chris doesn't let you quit..” He trailed off and I hugged him tightly.
“I'm so sorry, Frankie,” I mumbled. “But you're here now. And I'm gonna take care of you until you're old and incontinent.”
He laughed and kissed my jaw. “Rude.”
I grinned and pulled him closer to me. “The mood was getting really heavy.”
Frank rolled his eyes and nuzzled my shoulder. “Weirdo. Anyway, baby names. We both have middle names that start with A, maybe we should do an A name?”
I wrinkled my nose. “It's a cute idea, but then we have Ari and Angelo around..”
Frank frowned. “Comic book character?”
I giggled and kissed him softly. “We’re such dorks. What about Steven?”
He shrugged. “It's okay. Jack?”
This went on for a little while, with Frank and I throwing names back and forth and pulling faces. We eventually managed to settle on Ryan Angelo Way, and soon after, the birth certificate had been signed.
Frank cuddled up to me happily, playing with the strings on my hoodie. “Our little Ryan.”
I grinned and kissed him gently. He frowned and sat up. “I gotta go to the bathroom,” he mumbled, slipping off the bed and stumbling slightly. I jumped up to help him, wrapping an arm around his waist. “Fuck..” He whimpered, leaning into me as I helped him walk to the bathroom. “What hurts?” I murmured, opening the door and half carrying him in.
“Everything.”
I sighed and helped him with his pajamas, then sat him down on the toilet. He pulled a face. “You don't have to stick around.”
I chuckled and kissed the top of his head. “Hey. I really don't mind, honey. You're my world, and if my world has to have help to pee, then so be it.”
Frank giggled and rolled his eyes.

I carried him back to bed when he was done, laying him down carefully. “Do you think I could kiss it better?” I grinned. Frank went bright red. “Uh...I guess you could try.”
My grin turned into a smirk and I locked the door before climbing onto the bed, kissing him deeply.

I wiped Frank down carefully, smiling at him. He was sound asleep, snoring very softly. Someone knocked on the door and I tugged his pajamas back up before answering it. Angelo pulled me into a hug. “I heard about the name...thank you.”
I squeezed him gently. “It just seemed right,” I shrugged, then added, “And Frankie wants to take my name.”
He grinned. “Really? That's so cute.”
I nodded and glanced back at Frank. “We can go see Ryan if you'd like, I think Frankie’s gonna be out for a while.”
Angelo nodded and followed me down the hall quietly. “Ari is all excited about having a cousin. I'm not sure how to explain to him they're not actually related.”
I laughed and ran a hand through my hair. “It doesn't matter for now, does it?”
“Not really. It's pretty cute.”
I nodded and pushed open the ward door. I quickly found Ryan, crouching down near his incubator.
“He looks so tiny in there,” Angelo commented. “He's a pretty small one anyway, isn't he?”
I sighed. “Yeah. He's a week premature, but not that drastic. The doctors are saying he might have heart problems his whole life.”
Angelo frowned and shook his head. “That's messed up, I'm sorry, Gee.”
I smiled sadly and looked down at Ryan. “We’ll deal with it. Frank and I are gonna love the shit out of this kid.”
Angelo chuckled. “I'm sure you will, Gerard.”
I sniffed and put my hand on the glass, blinking. “I just want him to have a real family. Cause Frank and I both missed out on that.”
He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, smiling at me. “I know you guys are gonna be amazing parents. Don't stress over it, okay? Ryan is gonna have a fantastic childhood, and I'm here to help, no matter what. Frank will feel better really soon and when Ryan comes home, everything will fall into place. You'll see.”
I nodded and rubbed my eyes. “Thanks, Ange.”

Notes