Moving On - 43. Chapter 43

"But," he cautioned me when I announced we'd be on the first flight out of Atlanta, "the doc warned us it'll possibly be a long labor, and she's going to be stuck in the hospital until Sunday. Of course, Mom and Dad and Emma's parents are already on their way, but the way I see it, there's not much point in you coming until then."

"But, I…"

"Can it, bro. I know you want to be here as soon as possible, but he's still gonna be just as tiny and adorable after twenty-four hours as he will be when he first comes out; although he won't look like a gray slime-monster by that point."

I knew he was right, and since he was the soon-to-be father, it was only fair that I honored his wishes. Reluctantly, I agreed and hung up before passing the news on to Noah.

"We'll catch the first flight out Sunday morning. I know your classes start Monday, but they should be pretty easy the first couple days, and you don't have to go to campus until Wednesday. I'm not planning on staying long anyway. Just enough to meet my new nephew and help them get situated. We can fly back Tuesday evening and you'll be fine," I told him.

"I don't know, babe. I know the load will probably be light, but I'm just as stressed about everything being perfect as I was last semester; I'm just coping with it better. I'm worried trying to get everything just right while traveling will make me flip out like last time. You should go and see your new nephew. Take Zach with you; I'm sure he'll have a blast. I'd prefer to just stay here and make sure everything is in order, if that's ok."

"Are you sure? It'll be the first time we've been away from each other since you and Zach moved in."

"I'm sure. I'll miss you both something fierce, but it's only for a few days. There's still the telephone and we can Skype. Besides, maybe it'll be good to have a little time apart."

Noah's statement immediately set me on edge a little. "Are you saying you think we need some time apart?" I asked apprehensively.

"No, nothing like that. All I meant is we've basically been by each other's side every day for the past five months. A couple days away from each other won't hurt. I definitely don't think we're smothering each other or anything, but it can be nice to be able to do our own thing without interference every now and then," Noah explained.

My heart rate slowed as I realized I was overreacting yet again.

"Wait a sec! You just want to be able to sit on the couch watching TV in your underwear all day, don't you," I joked.

"Remember how Aunt Emma's tummy was really big?"

"Yeah. That's 'cause she's storing a baby in there. It felt funny when it kicked her tummy."

"Well the baby just came out. You and I are going to see him."

"But why can't Daddy come too. I want Daddy!"

Fortunately he wasn't screaming, but he had earlier. I knew it caused several cautious glances our way, and my concern was that someone may think I kidnapped the boy and report it – I would probably make the same assumption if I saw a boy who was screaming for his father while being accompanied by a man. I had all the necessary paperwork with me to prove I had legal custody, but that would not stop someone from giving us a hard time.

"Shhh it's ok, buddy, you can talk to him when we land. Daddy wanted to come, but he has to get ready for school tomorrow. We'll go back home in a few days and you'll see him then. I bet you'll have all sorts of great stories to tell him, too."

"He'll still be there, right? He's not going away?"

"Of course he's not going away, little buddy. Like I said, you'll see him in a few days."

"Do you promise?"

"Of course I promise."

"You sure?"

I let out a sigh, beginning to get a little frustrated. "Zach, have I ever lied to you before?"

He tapped his chin for a few moments while he thought. Finally, he responded, "I guess not."

"Then trust me, we'll see Daddy again in a few days."

"Oh, ok. Do you think Beso will miss me?"

"I'm sure he'll miss you a lot, but he'll keep Daddy company."

"How big will the baby be? Will he be bigger than Beso? What will he be like?" And just like that, Zach seemed over the fact Noah was not traveling with us. I had been hoping to get a little sleep on the flight, but instead found myself answering a barrage of questions from the five year old. This wasn't the right place to get into where babies came from, but otherwise I answered his questions to the best of my ability.

Once off the plane in Baltimore, I called Noah to tell him we had arrived. I quickly passed the phone off to Zach, thinking he might need more reassurance, but he was more concerned with how the dog was doing than his father. After a few minutes he handed it back to me.

"Hey again," I said.

"Zach sounds better. I didn't even think about how he'd react to me not coming. How'd he do?"

"It was touch and go for a while, but I think he now realizes you'll be there when we get home. I miss you."

"I miss you, too. This house is so damn quiet with you two gone. I keep riling the dog up just so there's some activity. But it's good I stayed. The professor for the on-campus class sent out the syllabus a little bit ago, and he looks like a real hard-ass. I actually have an assignment to complete before the first class."

"That sucks. If you need any help, let me know."

"Nah, it doesn't look hard, just annoying. I mean, really, who assigns homework before the class even starts?"

"Yeah, that's a douche move. Listen, babe, I really need to get going. Zach's getting restless. I'll call you later. I love you, and I miss you."

"I love you, too. Call when you can."

Zach and I got our rental car and drove straight to the hospital. Mom and Dad, along with Emma's parents were there when we walked into the small room. Emma was sitting up in bed, holding a tiny bundle in her arms.

"Bro, I want you to meet your nephew, Justin Scott Hudgins," Ethan said proudly. "Oh, and before you develop an ego, he's not named after you; we used David's and Dad's middle names." David is Emma's father.

"He's so tiny, Papa. Can I touch him?"

"Come here and sit on my lap and you can hold him," Emma said. "But you have to be very, very gentle."

Zach did as she instructed. For a rambunctious little boy, he was surprisingly patient. He held baby Justin for about ten minutes, until he suddenly woke from his nap and started crying.

"Why is he doing that? I didn't do nothing!" Zach said in a panic. Ethan scooped the baby up and tried to calm him. When that didn't work, we decided to give the new parents some time alone.

Outside the room, Zach was still upset. "I didn't mean to make him cry, Papa, honest."

"I know you didn't. Since babies can't talk yet, they cry to get attention. He may have been hungry, or needed his diaper changed. He may have just wanted his mommy to hold him, or he could have even been a little scared by all the people in the room. I think sometimes they cry simply because they can. You did great with him."

"Can I have a baby brother? That'd be so much fun!"

I sighed. "We'll see, Zachy. It probably won't be any time soon, but maybe one day. Your dad and I have to talk a lot about it before making that decision."

Emma was due to be released in a few hours, so I decided to take Zach and check in at our hotel. We went down to the pool, and he was soon splashing away happily while I watched. While there, I decided to check in on Noah.

"So you'll never guess what Zach wants now," I said after exchanging hellos.

"I'm gonna have to guess a little brother," Noah said. "I half-expected that."

"Yep. I told him we'd talk about it. I'd like to have another child someday. I've always wanted to have a biological child."

"That's definitely something we can talk about. It's not really a phone conversation, though."

"Oh, I know, and I wasn't thinking about anytime soon. I'll bring it up in a few months, probably. By the way, I'm pulling the 'not-the-biological-parent' card. Zach has lots of questions about where babies come from, and I was thinking you could explain it to him."

"You can only use that card once, so do you want 'where do babies come from' or the sex talk?"

"That's easy. I'll take the sex talk. I can always just put on a porn and call it good."

"Scott Hudgins, you are not showing porn to our son!"

"Well if you feel so strongly about it, maybe you should handle that talk as well," I said with a giggle.

"You are incorrigible. I can't believe I walked into that. How do I even bring up where babies come from for Zach? Mine started 'when a man and woman love each other very much'. That's not the case with him, and he knows it, so what do I say? 'When a woman wants to get her greedy paws on a man without his consent, she slips him a roofie and rapes him'?"

"That's why I want you to have this talk with him. Just be honest and specific, but keep it age-appropriate. In seriousness, I can handle the sex talk when we get to that point, but I know Zach will have questions specific to him, and I think you'll do a better job answering those."

Zach came running over and wanted to talk to Noah. When he was finished, he jumped back in the pool before I realized he still had my phone. I tried to keep it cool, but I was seeing red.

I called him over and demanded to see the phone. Of course it didn't work. I tried to rationalize that I just needed a new one, but to look up where to go, I needed my phone. I was just about to yell at Zach – who had begun to sob he was so upset – when I realized how badly I was overreacting. It was just a phone, and it was an accident; Noah probably told him to go jump in the pool as soon as he hung up, and Zach was merely following directions. I took out my SIM and SD cards and walked over to the edge of the pool with the upset boy.

"I bet you can't get this," I said tossing the phone into the shallow end. He looked at me, confused, so I picked him up and stepped into the pool. For the next thirty minutes, we had a blast splashing and dunking each other, and occasionally I'd toss the now-defunct phone for him to dive after.

Once he began to show signs of being tired, we went back to the room and changed. I used my laptop to figure out where I could replace the phone, and was forced to resort to paper and pencil to write down the directions like a barbarian. Just before we walked out the door, Zach handed me a wadded up twenty.

"Daddy gave this to me so I could buy lots of fudge and bring him back some, but since I broked your phone, I want to buy it for you. Is that enough?"

He would have needed nineteen more for it to be enough, but his thoughtfulness brought a tear to my eye. "I think that's the perfect amount," I fibbed. "How about after we get the phone, we get some fudge to celebrate?"

"Can we bring some for the baby? I bet he'd love fudge."

"We can't give the baby any, but I'm sure Aunt Emma would really like some."

We got the phone, and I distracted Zach so he didn't notice I didn't use the twenty, which instead was used to buy copious amounts of fudge.

When the new phone was activated, I was grateful the cards had not been damaged. Fortunately, I didn't lose anything. I did have several messages from my brother. I replied that we would be there shortly.

We arrived at their condo, and it was quickly apparent that I made the right choice in getting a hotel room. The guest room had been justifiably converted to a nursery, and with everyone present, there were seven adults and two kids. We relaxed and chatted while the baby slept, Zach occupying himself by making drawings for everyone.

When the baby woke up, chaos broke out as the three moms rushed to attend to his every need. Zach stared like it was a train wreck. I wasn't sure if he was fascinated by all the attention Justin was getting or terrified of the noise emanating from the infant.

Ethan tapped my shoulder, and pulled a cigar out of his pocket just far enough for me to see. Dad and Emma's father were already heading to the doorway. I told Mom to keep an eye on Zach, and told my son I'd be back before joining the men.

"I got these to celebrate, but wanted to wait until you got here," Dad said as we boarded the elevator to go to the patio.

I am far from a connoisseur of cigars, but it is my dad's way of celebrating big milestones. I could tell by the flavor that they probably were not legally imported but did not feel the need to ask, and it never came up as we chatted and smoked.

"So, Scott, how are things with you? We were heartbroken when Em told us what happened to Steve," David asked.

"It was rough for a while. Eventually things started to get better. You met Zach, earlier. I'm dating his father and we share custody. It's a long story, and the focus today should be on Emma and Ethan, but feel free to ask one of them for all the details sometime."

"By the way, if Dad has his way, I think he's going to kick you to the curb and adopt Noah unless you seal the deal soon. You should've heard him over New Year's; it was 'Noah this', and 'Noah that'," Ethan joked.

"And let me guess, Mom wouldn't stop talking about Zach and your baby."

"Exactly… how are we their kids but we're the least liked of the bunch?"

"Because your mother and I had to put up with your shit for too many years before you each found someone else willing to do it," Dad retorted, before becoming serious. "How you coping so far? Feel overwhelmed yet?"

"You have no idea. I mean it's just so hard to believe I'm a father. It's been easy so far, since there've been nurses and grandparents to look after everything, but everyone will leave soon, and… Well, what if I'm not cut out to be a father?"

"I felt that way when Scott was born. Hell, I felt that way when you were born, and I'm sure David felt the same way," Dad said, glancing over to the man, who simply nodded in agreement. "Your whole life changed the instant Justin drew his first breath. Emma's putting on a brave face for everyone, but I'm sure she's just as scared underneath it all, so make sure you give her all the support you can."

"If you two are half as good with Justin as you have been with Zach, you'll be phenomenal parents," I added. "It doesn't really count, since I landed a four-year-old, but I felt so underprepared when they extended custody to me. So far, I don't think I've screwed him up too badly."

Once we finished, we went back upstairs, and joined the ladies, who were gushing over Zach, who was happily holding his cousin again.

That evening, the effects of two days without sex were clearly taking a toll on Noah.

"No, I will not have phone sex with our son in the room," I insisted.

"You can at least talk dirty to me. You said he's wearing headphones," he pleaded.

"So despite the fact we're both horny, you can get off, but I can't?"

"Well, you're the one who wanted to take Zach. Please?! Can't you go into the bathroom or something?"

"Noah, no. We should land just after noon. Once we get home, I'll put a movie in, crank up the volume, and prove to you just how much I missed you. If you can't wait until then, you have the internet and two hands. I'm sure you can figure out a way to relieve the pressure," I said exasperatedly. "But, I fully expect to encounter the tiger when I get home."

"You want it bad, don't you," Noah said, his voice changing to almost teasing me instead of pleading with me.

"Sooooo bad, baby. Probably at least as badly as you do. However, I have a five-year-old in the room, so I don't have the option for finding relief."

"There's always the bathroom, if you really can't take it anymore," Noah pointed out.

"That I share with Zach. It's just half a day longer. I can be patient. We'll ravish each other as soon as I get home.

"Zach, cover your ears," he said gruffly, and the boy did so. "Fuck Atlanta traffic, fuck that goddamn piece of shit teacher, and fuck school. What the hell was I thinking going back? I'm too old for this shit."

I immediately stopped prepping dinner, and grabbed him a beer from the fridge.

"Calm down, and tell me what happened. You're doing great at school. Zach, uncover your ears."

Obviously he could hear me, since he immediately obeyed, which meant he heard Noah's rant, but did not say a word. I filed that away as a future trick when I needed to drop an f-bomb.

"First off, traffic sucked both ways. Apparently there was an accident and half the lanes were closed on the connector. On the way back, I was stuck in rush hour traffic. Fortunately I left early enough I wasn't late for class, but I was already on edge when it started."

"Next time, try the surface streets. They're still busy, but they flow better. The highway is always clogged with tourists and suburbanites fleeing the city at the end of the day."

"I will, I just followed what the GPS said was the fastest route. Obviously it was wrong."

"So what happened in class?"

"First the 'professor', who had to be no older than me, singled me out and made a big deal that someone 'my age' had no business being in the class, because as we age we become less able to pick up new technology, according to him."

"That's a load of crap! Since I was twenty-five, I've learned at least two new programming languages and I can't even count the number of design programs I've picked up. Technology is constantly changing, and as a designer you have to keep up in order to deliver what the client wants," I said angrily.

"I'm not done, though. He had each of us present the assignment to the class. I wouldn't say mine was the best, but it was certainly one of the better ones. All the others he had almost nothing bad to say, but a couple he had minor criticisms. Mine was ripped to shreds. I mean he was vicious; he told me I should just drop out and find something else to occupy my time, since I clearly wasn't cut out for graphic design. It took all I had not to burst out in tears. I worked really hard, and was so proud of what I turned in."

"Can I see it?" I generally made a point of not asking, since I wanted to make sure Noah was doing it on his own. I doubted I could not critique and offer a billion suggestions I picked up over the years through trial and error.

Noah pulled out his laptop and opened the project.

"I'm looking at this as a web designer and not your boyfriend, right?"

"Please. I want your honest opinion."

"Good," I responded.

"Is it really that bad?"

"Well if I hired someone to design this for me, I'd reject it. I demand perfection from myself, and when I use someone else's work, I want it to be even better to justify the expense."

"So he was right?"

"I didn't say that at all. Give me a moment to look at it closer. I'll give you all the nitpicks I can, and then explain."

I stared at the image and scrolled through the layers carefully before continuing. "Ok, first off, something is off on your margins. It looks fine at first glance, but when I place it on a webpage, it's going to look wonky. The font isn't quite crisp enough, so it might be illegible on lower resolution monitors. The color palette also isn't quite right, so the logo doesn't quite pop. Finally, there seems to be a strange phantom image in the background. It almost looks like a watermark, but unintentionally."

"So you're saying he's right. I thought it was great."

"No, he is completely wrong. If I ordered a logo with these specs, I'd expect at least a week turnaround, so as not to force the designer to do a rush job. Two days is way too quick. The font and colors are tedious, but it's an easy fix; you just have to keep trying different combinations within the same font family and colors. The margins will take a bit more work, but I can show you what I mean. Like I said, I'd reject this if it was the final submission, but it's a great first -- or even second -- draft."

"What about the watermark effect?"

"That's probably the easiest fix. Just zoom into the pixel level and manually redo all the pixels that are off."

"So it's not really that bad?"

"Since you haven't done anything like this before, I think it's incredible. Just a few months ago, you'd never even touched any of this software. Say, I have an evil idea," I said, a thought popping into my mind. "Can I use your template and teach the prick a lesson?"

"No. I want to do this on my own. Knowing it's not my abilities at fault really helps. I think I'll just have to make the most of a bad situation and deal with it," Noah said.

"If you want to run future assignments past me for feedback, feel free. I'd hate for you to get a bad grade in the class just because he has a chip on his shoulder."

"I think I'll do that. Thank you for restoring my confidence, babe," he said, giving me a hug and a gentle kiss.

"It's one of the many perks of being in a relationship with the great Scott Hudgins."

"Yeah, but there's that damn ego I have to deal with," he joked.