Chapter Text
Shitty Knight was not a morning person. One of his favorite things about his fiancée was that she was also very much not a morning person. So, when the phone went off at 3:12 AM on July 6 and Larissa swore aloud before rolling away from the cocoon of his arms to pick it up, he smiled.
As soon as she answered, he heard the familiar but unusually loud voice of his best friend launch into some sort of tirade.
“Jack, hey, hold on, I–” she yawned, “I’ll wake him up.”
“Already up. Phone me brah.” She handed him the phone and pulled the comforter up over her shoulders, watching his face to try and piece together what had Jack so riled so early. “Jack?” He yawned. “You okay, man?”
“Ruth’s water broke, we’re on our way to the hospital right now. I know it's a week early and if you can't make it it’s fine but–”
Shitty shot up out of bed and immediately tripped over his clothes from yesterday. He flailed his arms at Lardo to urge her out of bed. “Shut the hell up so I can get off the phone and get dressed and be down there before my godkid enters the world without my supervision.” She gasped and jumped up, grabbing her robe and running to the bathroom. “Wait! You okay?”
“Yes.”
“Alright. Then I love you both and I'll see you in an hour.”
“Love you too. And Lardo. Bye.”
“Bye!”
***
Larissa pulled into a space on the level above the access bridge in the hospital parking garage. Before she’d turned the car off, Shitty flung his door open and went to leap out of the car, swore, undid his seatbelt, and then jumped out of his seat.
“Dude, wait!” She tucked the parking permit they’d paid for on their way in down by the air vents on the dashboard and slammed the door shut, hitting the lock on the fob twice and jogging after him. “Your legs are so much longer than mine, this isn’t fair!”
He circled back around and squatted in front of her, patting on his back and holding his hands out behind him. “Then hop up, babe. We’ve got places to go and babies to kiss.” She laughed and jumped onto his back, wrapping her legs around his waist and kissing his cheek. “Onward!”
He slowed down when they reached the door, letting Lardo reach out with her foot and push the door open in front of them. They made their way through the lobby like that, and when they approached the desk, the receptionist cracked a smile.
“How can I help you two today? Twisted ankle?”
“Nah, our godchild is being born today! Could you point us in the direction of the delivery waiting room?”
His grin widened and he pointed toward the elevator. “Third floor. For safety reasons, though, I’m going to have to ask you to hop on down, ma’am.”
“Oh, spoilsport!” Lardo teased, unlocking her ankles and landing hard, stretching her legs. As they headed to the elevator, she shook her head. “I’m almost too old for piggyback rides, Shits.”
“Never say that again.”
***
Jack was pacing. Had been pacing for about two hours now. Eric caught Shitty’s eye and shook his head, shooting a worried glance at his husband, before he went back to crocheting little lavender granny squares at a frankly astonishing rate.
Jack had already straightened every unoccupied chair in the waiting room while trying to look like he was doing it at leisure; walked down to the cafeteria to buy Alexei a coffee and himself a hot chocolate; called Justin and updated him and Adam on the lack of news; and now he was wearing out the tile, weaving his way around the little maze of faded, upholstered seating. Alicia had tried to engage him in conversation, distract him from his small-scale epic journey, but after four curt answers she gave up and went back to chatting with Eric. Shitty patted Bob on the knee at a sensible break in their conversation and rose, leaving his fiancée to chat with the very nervous soon-to-be grandfather.
He sidled over to a corner on Jack’s track, leading him so he could intercept him away from everyone else. Jack nearly bumped into him. “Whoa, man. You’re gonna wear a hole through to the floor below.” He rested a hand on his best friend’s chest, both to keep him in place and subtly check his heart rate. “Normally I can’t get you to budge; now you won’t sit still?”
Jack smiled ruefully. “I’m not anxious, Shits.”
“No?” Shitty cocked an eyebrow.
“I’m impatient.” Jack’s eyes grew brighter at the acknowledgment.
“That’s fair.” Shitty crossed over to where Eric was sitting and fell into the chair next to him. “Proceed.” Eric’s eyes flashed daggers at him.
“Actually, will you go for a walk with me?” The daggers were now trained squarely on Jack, who smiled and leaned down to kiss the sharp frown off his husband’s face. “We won’t go far and I’ll keep my phone in my hand.”
“I’m only okay with this because I know how fast you’ll get back here if I call you.” Eric cupped Jack’s cheek in his hand and kissed him again, stern expression melting away. “Don’t be gone long, this waiting is hard enough with you with me.”
“I promise.”
***
“How’s the wedding planning going?” Jack tucked his hands into the pockets of his zip-up as they walked through the little garden in the courtyard.
“Great. You know, any time we get riled up over something or stressed because my family are being douche canoes? We just pack a bowl and we’re back to stress-neutral. I love her so much, Jack.” They both giggled behind their hands for a few moments before falling into silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was heavy with the weight of how much would change within the next few hours.
“Eric seems stressed.”
“He's sad that his parents aren't here. I am, too, to be honest.” Jack side-eyed Shitty, mouth downturned.
Shitty raised his eyebrows. “I'm glad that you two and his folks are getting on well, now.”
“Me, too.” Jack sighed and fell silent. The sound of soles on gravel echoed off the brick for a long moment.
“Are you ready?”
Jack took a deep breath and let it out slow. “I’m ready to see just exactly how not ready I am. If that makes any kind of sense whatsoever.” Shitty nodded and waited, sensing that there was more to come. “I can’t wait to meet them, I can’t wait to bring them home and be done waiting to bring them home. I want this so badly, this chance to do better for someone than our parents did for us. To love them and help prepare them to be ready to take on anything.”
“This kid will always know where home is.” Shitty linked his arm through Jack’s. Jack blinked away his unexpected reaction to that loaded phrase. “I mean, hell, as long as the little shit has a nose they’ll be able to smell the pie for miles. Oof!” He rubbed his side where Jack had elbowed him. “I earned that.”
***
Eric had begun running a thick needle between completed squares and stitching them into a blanket by the time they returned. Alexei was sitting with him and Jack smiled; he was chattering away to the defenseman, doing his best to explain the basics of crocheting. As they crossed the room from the elevator, Eric looked up and smiled. “You two feel better?” Shitty nodded, heading over to where Lardo and the elder Zimmermanns were having a meeting about event planning pitfalls.
Jack crossed to the empty seat next to Eric and sat, kissing him. “Much better.”
Eric’s eyes fluttered open as his husband pulled away and a soft smile played on his lips, the deep furrows on his forehead smoothing away into their normal faint lines. “Good, now help me keep this yarn untangled. The cake came undone in my bag.”
“I try, I fail.” Alexei shrugged and handed the muddled yarn across Eric’s lap to Jack.
“Hello, I’m looking for the Zimmermann family?” An attending with a clipboard let the door swing shut behind her. Everyone in the room stood up in anticipation, sans the one older woman who’d been sitting in the corner looking appalled at the rowdy group around her.
“Specifically the parents,” she laughed, and they all sat, save the two she was here for. Jack stuffed the messy bundle of yarn back into the bag and helped Eric get everything off his lap before locking their hands together and crossing the room.
Jack locked eyes with him and Shitty nodded and gave a thumbs up, then brushed his hand across his eyes.
“You okay?” Lardo wove her fingers through his.
“She called them parents, man.”