a real family // ellie, jo, landon & the twins
Ellie whined quietly as she felt her uterus contract. She'd continued to have small contractions ever since the little false alarm, so these didn't seem out of the ordinary. "Joey.." She whimpered quietly, pressing her forehead to her boyfriend's shoulder. Her chest felt slightly heavy, it'd been harder to breathe these past few weeks, and she wanted nothing more than to get up and move, even if she was supposed to stay off her feet as much as possible. "Can you help me up?" She asked softly, scooting towards the edge of the couch to get up.
Jo hurried to help his girlfriend, being as gentle as he could. The stress of pregnancy was taking a noticeable toll on Ellie, which caused him to be on high alert. He often worried about her while working, distracting him in ways he couldn't afford to be. It used to reassure him knowing Landon would sometimes check up on Ellie, but lately Joseph just couldn't stop thinking what if. What if something went wrong? "Hey, babe...c'mere. Whaddya need?" He tucked her against his side to support her better.
Ellie let out a gentle hum, turning to press her face into him briefly before looking up at him. "Shhh, don't fuss over me. I'm okay. I just wanna grab something to drink. Keep watching your show." She gave him a stern look to sit, pressing a kiss to his temple before she toddled off across the room to the kitchen.
Jo eyed her warily, sitting back down but also on high alert. Every one of Ellie's actions was potentially life threatening in his eyes. He rolled his neck and shoulders, sighing. It'd been a long time since he was able to relax. Spotting Clit at his feet, he toed the little corgi affectionately.
Ellie bent over into the fridge to grab the pitcher of iced tea she'd made earlier in the week. Heading over to the cabinet, the girl grabbed a glass before setting it down, pouring herself a drink. And then there it was. A gushing sensation between her legs. Furrowing her brow, Ellie looked down confused. Had she spilled... Her eyes popped open, the pitcher still tight in her grip as she looked at the clear fluid. "Jo??" She called out, her gaze not leaving the fluid on her legs.
Jo lunged off of the couch, hurriedly making his way over. He stared at Ellie, gaping. "I...you...is that..?" Unable to form a complete sentence, Joseph looked around frantically. "Shit--keys? Bag? Fuck." His stress was at an all-time high. They'd prepared for this moment. They rehearsed it. They had a trial run a few weeks ago. But nothing could prepare the young man for this moment. He ran over to Clit and scooped him up, running into the bathroom and depositing the corgi in the tub. It was the only place Joseph could think of in that moment to keep the corgi out of trouble or from hurting itself. He grabbed the bag they packed, rushing back over and shoved his feet into his boots. In the back of his mind, he knew labor could probably take hours but everything was urgent and scary and now. He dropped the bag by the door, grabbing shoes for Ellie and returning to her. "Aw, man, babe. Are you okay?"
Ellie watched with wide eyes as her boyfriend ran around like a maniac. As he did so, she toddled off down the hall to the bedroom, quickly changing into a clean pair of leggings before she heard the little feet and whimpers in their bathroom. "What the.." As she went to investigate, she found Clit in the tub, running around. "Oh goodness.. What did your daddy do to you?" She sat on the edge of the tub, reaching her arms out to pull the dog out and set him down, letting him scamper about. Getting back up, she headed out into the hall, raising her brows slightly at Jo as he raced up to her. "I'm okay, yeah." She nodded, slipping on the uggs before she put on her winter coat and headed for the door. "C'mon bud, time to make you a daddy."
Jo chuckled nervously, placing his hand at Ellie's back as they made their way out the door. He remembered the keys just before they left and dashed back to get them. Joseph sighed loudly as they waited in the elevator. The steady beeps of each passing floor were only barely louder than the blood rushing past his ears. He buried his face into Ellie's hair, trying to calm himself. Everything was going to be alright. He could do this. "We're gonna have kids..." He murmured.
Ellie reached up to stroke her boyfriend's head lightly, scratching his scalp in a soothing manner as the elevator made its descent. "That's right, my love. And they're gonna love you just as much as I do." Just before the elevator hit the lobby, the real contractions came, Ellie's hand dropping to her stomach as she let out a cry. "Oh fuck."
Jo smiled a bit at that, not confident in her words but appreciating them all the same. His eyes widened in alarm at her cry. "You alright?" The elevator chimed as it reached the lobby, and Joseph carefully ushered his girlfriend out and over to one of the plush seats. "I'm gonna bring the car around front, okay?" He kissed her temple and made his way over to the doorman, narrowing his eyes as his old persona snapped back into place. "Watch her. If anything happens to her, I'll make you fucking regret it." Joseph glared at the guy as he walked away, leaving the older doorman sweating nervously.
Ellie gave him a nod as her forehead stayed creased, rubbing her hand over her belly, as if it'd somehow soothe the children and her constricting body. "Christ..." She whimpered to herself, keeling forward as she waited for Jo to return, some middle-aged woman stopping over to check on the girl who was clearly distressed. "I'm... I'm fine." She nodded through the contraction. "Just, waiting for my boyfriend to come back." Her teeth gritted together as she attempted to breathe through it, rocking slightly in her seat.
Jo wasn't too long before pulling up in front of the entrance. He left the engine running and jogged back to escort Ellie into the car. After making sure she was strapped in as comfortably as she could be with her large belly and two children trying to break free, Joseph drove as quickly as safety permitted. They hit traffic a quarter of a mile from the hospital, and every minute that ticked by made him more frustrated. He did his best to keep it contained, reaching over to place his hand on Ellie's thigh. "We're almost there, baby girl."
Ellie 's contractions were coming and going every few minutes, growing closer and closer together with every one that passed. She nodded her head, breathing deeply to try and exhale the pressure that was sitting heavy between her legs. "Manhattan traffic. Only thing worse is Los Angeles." She tried to choke, her brows furrowing at the cramp in her side. Soon enough they reached the hospital, the valet pulling open Ellie's door and helping her out. "Thank you." She smiled weakly, waiting for Jo as he hustled around with the baby back snug on his hip before she held onto him and toddled inside.
Jo wasn't sure if he had time to park the car or if he should leave it here and follow Ellie in to get her settled first. He blinked, sitting in place, stuck between the two options. But then the valet came over to help the poor clueless mobster, offering to take the car for him. Joseph nodded dumbly, taking the ticket from the man then grabbed the bag, hurrying after Ellie. The valet wouldn't notice a shotgun in the trunk, right? Right.
Ellie made it to the front desk just before another contraction came, the girl trying to muffle a pained cry. "I... My water broke. I'm 4 weeks early.." She managed to get out through uneven beats to the nurse. That was all they needed to hear before the couple was whisked into the back, not even bothering to send the girl through triage before she was settled into a hospital bed with at least four different monitors strapped to her, and wires and tubes stuck in her torso and arms. As the last wave of nurses left, Ellie looked over at Jo with a pathetic puppy dog expression, biting her lip. "I guess I shouldn't have moved off the couch, huh?"
Jo barked out an uneasy laugh, finally able to stand closer to his girlfriend after the swarm of strangers were gone. "4 weeks early...I don't think anything's gonna stop our kids from breakin' outta there if they're that eager to see us, babe." He dragged a chair over and sat down, taking Ellie's hand in his and giving it a kiss.
Ellie nodded slowly, looking up at the drugs feeding into her body. "I just hope they stay in a little longer, 12 hours at least..." She bit her lip nervously. She'd done her fair share of reading throughout her pregnancy, and she knew how dangerous four weeks could be, especially for twins who were usually underdeveloped as it was. The lungs developed last, what if they had respiratory issues?
Jo immediately picked up on her worry. "Why? What's gonna happen if they don't? Is 12 hours gonna make a big difference?"
Ellie parted her lips to speak and then paused, leaning back a little more on the pillow that propped her up. "Our gestational period... you know, pregnancy... It's 40 weeks for a reason, because the baby needs those weeks to develop. I mean by now almost everything is well developed or fully... but..." Her eyes dropped, staring at their entwined fingers before she peeked up at him. "The lungs are the last to develop. It's why premature babies have respiratory issues a lot. Now they have me on special steroids to help the lungs develop quickly. So every hour counts so it can work more."
Jo looked down at her belly, furrowing his eyebrows. He'd been through a lot of things in his life, but the one thing he could count on was his body. No matter how beaten or broken, he was trained to endure pain and heal. He'd been stabbed, shot, had nearly every one of his bone broken, but never had he struggle with something as simple as breathing. To think that his kids would have to suffer that...Joseph bit his lip, squeezing Ellie's hand tighter. "They'll do it," he muttered resolutely. "They've got you and me in them. They'll claw their way to survive." He bowed his head, tucking it against Ellie and the twins. His father was a Catholic Irishman who used the Lord's name as an excuse to shed blood. Joseph didn't believe in God and knew prayers were useless, but he did it anyway. Whatever helped his kids.
Ellie combed her fingers through Jo's hair slowly, nodding her head. "I'm sure they'll be fine. I just am being a worry wart, I'm sure. They'll probably just be a little underweight or something." Ellie's eyelids were heavy, the pain was hard to deal with and made her more tired than she already constantly was with supporting so much. "They'll be fine, I'm sure." She mumbled again.
Jo rubbed her tummy before scooting over to place gentle kisses along her face, stroking her hair. "And what about you, baby?" He nudged her nose, looking at her with concern in his hazel eyes.
Ellie looked at him through heavy-lidded eyes, a tired smile spreading over her features. "M'okay." She said softly, lifting her jaw to nudge his nose right back. "Just a little tired."
Jo looked her over and scooted himself in the bed with Ellie, tucking her into his side. He was careful to avoid pulling on any wires. "C'mere."
Ellie let out a soft sound resembling a kitten, turning to press her back to his front, fingers staying laced with his as the monitors beeped monotonously in the background.
Jo joined the chat 3 days ago
Jo wrapped himself around her like a blanket, aligning himself with the curve of her back. He kissed her shoulder and nuzzled the nape of her neck. "I love you."
Ellie let out a little noise of appeasement, her eyes closing as she felt herself begin to drift off. "Mmm.. you should call Landon." She mumbled.
Jo joined the chat 3 days ago
Jo was a little too comfortable where he was and content not to move. Besides, his hand was in hers and letting go was effort. "Mm, you call him. Phone's in my pocket." He mumbled.
Ellie furrowed her brows, turning over in frustration and glaring at him. "I'm about to push two fucking children out of my body. I'm small. And in pain. And it's you're fault. You wanna try that again?"
Jo smiled innocently. "I love you?"
Ellie shoved his chest lightly. "Go do it." She scolded, her brow furrowing as she felt the pain peak again. "Ow." She whimpered quietly, curling into the pillow.
Jo held his girlfriend securely against him, stroking her hair as her discomfort spiked. Digging his phone out of his pocket, he looped his arm around her to where Ellie could see and looked up Landon's name in his contacts and dialed the number on speaker.
Ellie closed her eyes, ignoring the sounds around her and letting herself drift off. Jo could handle telling Landon. She just really wanted to sleep.
Jo glanced down at her and figured if she wasn't going to bother then he'd just do it himself. Taking it off of speaker, he held it up to his ear and was just in time to get the voicemail. He left a message, making sure to leave the number of the room they were in. Joseph pocketed his phone, careful not to jostle Ellie and wrapped his arm back around her protectively.
Ellie rested for a few hours, being disturbed every so often when a contraction got too bad or a nurse came in to check on her. The tiny girl was woken fully as she felt the contractions worsen, her head tilting back as she rolled over, groaning from the pain. "I want them out." She whined, breathing unevenly. "I want them out."
Jo had been awake the entire time, occasionally playing games on his phone to distract himself from getting worked up in concern. "Hey..." He greeted her softly, kissing the top of her head. "Should I call the nurse again? I mean, do you need something for the pain? Is it time?"
Ellie whined quietly, pressing her face into him. "I don't know." Ellie wasn't exactly the most logical person in that moment. She was grumpy and uncomfortable, not wanting to even think about anything. "I just want them out." Part of her just wanted a c-section at this point so she could get them out and not have to worry about the whole dilating thing. Ellie cuddled into Jo, laying beside him as she worked through each contraction, each one coming closer and closer together. A nurse came in and told her she was at 8. Okay. Soon. "They definitely feel low." She said softly, tilting her chin up that rested on Jo's chest to look at him. "I don't know which one but... they're down there."
Jo did his best to offer what comfort he could, stroking Ellie's hair. He only had a vague idea of this whole process and guessed that if she could feel them shifting, then their babies would be coming soon. "Are you, uh...set on the whole natural birth thing? Couldn't they just go in and take 'em out?"
Ellie nodded her head at his question. "They could... It usually happens with twin births, but it's kind of invasive surgery, and I don't know..." Ellie bit her lip. To be honest she was just nervous about it more than anything. The idea seemed so much nicer in the moment though, just getting it over with, but going on an operation table while awake... with them cutting her open.... A shiver ran down her spine, her lips pressing together. "I don't know, I get the jitters thinking about it. It's icky."
Jo nodded as if he understood, but things like that honestly didn't bother him. He's shoved a grenade down a man's throat, for God's sake. It's a good thing Ellie was on the call for that part. He rubbed her tummy comfortingly. "You gonna take one for the team then? Rough it out?"
Ellie nodded her head. "I guess so yeah." She knew it'd be much harder, and that in general avoiding a c-section wasn't the best idea for her, especially with how small she was. But Ellie wasn't sure if it was an option, so she planned to do just that, rough it out.
Jo nodded at her choice, but was still worried for her. "You sure? I mean if they do the surgery then you won't feel anything, right? And they could put a curtain above your belly so you don't see what's happening."
Ellie quirked her lips to the side, expression falling as she let out a low sound and rubbed her belly as a contraction came. "Yeah, I know..." She said slowly, trying to pace herself but still answer him. "But it's so.... invasive. It's not a minor thing, you know? And you think of having a baby you think of them coming out and pushing and holding them and just the cute stuff right away and it's supposed to be very important for a mom. I don't wanna lose that."
Jo couldn't really relate with that. Then again, being so close to have kids was starting to make him wary all over again. He just glad Ellie's made it this far without serious complications. Joseph kissed the side of her head. "I'll be right next to you, 'kay? You can punch me for not wearin' a condom if it makes you feel better. I dunno how it works. Chicks on TV usually cuss out their husbands."
Ellie nodded her head, taking his head and giving it a squeeze, her lips pressing to his rough skin. "Mmmm.. I love you." She said softly, rubbing her cheek over the back of his hand. "Our babies are gonna love you too."
Jo lacked confidence in her words as usual when it came to the subject of kids. It just seemed like karma was gonna hit him hard for the things he's done. And what better way to hurt him than through his family? Joseph covered up the darker thoughts with a nervous chuckle. "I love you too. Hope they do too. Can't exactly return me for a refund."
Ellie pressed another kiss to his hand. "I know you don't have faith in yourself. But have faith in me then. You'll see, baby." She nuzzled his hand until the doctors came in. She was a ten. Ellie felt her stomach seem to drop into where the babies were, nerves taking over. "I-.... really?" She squeaked. Dr. Conner just gave her a smile and told her she'd be back shortly and then the babies would be out in no time. "I.. I yeah." She watched the woman leave the room, swallowing nervously. This was really happening.
Jo perked up, sensing the change in the mood. "What? What's that mean? What's gonna happen?"
Ellie looked at him, the nerves apparent all over her face. "I... they... I mean we're gonna...start pushing soon. It means I'm ready. They're ready. The babies are.." She shook her head. "Oh my goodness."
Jo looked down then back up to her. "I...should I get off the bed now? I mean, do we have to prepare anything? I..." He trailed off, realizing that acting like a lost little boy wasn't going to help anyone. Joseph took in a calming breath, leaning over to press his lips to Ellie's forehead. "I love you. Bring our kids safely to us, yeah?"
Ellie nodded her head at him, giving him a small smile. "Yeah baby, you have to get off the bed. Just stand beside me, hold my hand, and I don't know. Do the boyfriend thing. You can do that, right?"
Jo does the boyfriend thing. He was too high strung with anticipation to sit, so he did as Ellie said and stood beside her. He whispered, "hey."
Ellie gave him a nervous smile, biting her lip as the doctor came back in, nurses following behind her. Everything picked up from there and in no time the doctor was between her legs on a stool and nurses were holding her legs up basically like they were stirrups and Ellie had only blushed harder a handful of times throughout her life. "I'm so sorry, it's just out there for you all that's so awkward I'm sorry." She looked at Jo with a puppy dog expression. "Don't look. Promise you won't look. I'll basically be squeezing a cantaloupe out of a keyhole and I'm sure it's super super gross and I want you to want to have sex with me one day in the future so don't look."
Jo blinked. That's what his girlfriend was concerned about? He smiled fondly down at her, kissing her forehead. "I promise not to look, baby girl. I'll be right up here with you the entire time."
Ellie felt as if she'd been scooped up into a tornado after that. The pressure that was low between her legs was only growing worse, and her body was feeling the need to push. She waited for the contraction like the doctor said, and that's when the cycle started, the woman's voice counting to ten slowly to help her along, the pain reaching an all new level of severity as it seemed like her body was being slowly torn. As the first contraction passed, she was told to relax for a minute, the doctor readying her for the next one and the cycle started again: the increments of 10, the pain, the words "Anytime now." Ellie's face was red, and stained with tears, the plastic of the oxygen tube that was in her nostrils only irritating her skin and making her more uncomfortable.
Jo held Ellie's hand, staying up above waist level as promised. He did his best to bring small comforts to his girlfriend, murmuring encouragement. It made his body tense and uncomfortable to hear her in any kind of pain. "C'mon, baby. You can do it."
Ellie Each time it seemed like she was being assured only once more, and the small girl was getting frustrated. Doubt started to set in, doubt towards herself, that plus the fatigue making it harder for her to go on much longer. Everything hurt, and the pain was only getting worse. But then there it was. "I see hair!!!" The doctor exclaimed excitedly in encouragement. Ellie's muscles tightened as she pushed, her face scrunching up and turning a brighter shade of red as she let out a sound of exasperation and agony. But then there it was, the sound of a baby's cries, Ellie was still half dazed with tears down her face but the pressure was gone. Had she really...? The doctor placed a flushed little human being on Ellie's chest beneath a towel as the hands wiped off the blood and fluid. "It's a boy." The doctor exclaimed. Ellie's eyes filled with tears all over again, glancing at Jo in disbelief. "Isaac." She looked back to the small baby, his eyes closed as he cried and jerked about so close to her.
Jo couldn't do anything for Ellie was was feeling helpless. This was her battle to fight, one that didn't involve fists or guns, but the sheer power of her own will. When his son finally came into the world, Joseph looked in awe. It was...a tiny human. Squishy-faced and squinty-eyed. With the color of his hair. Joseph reached out slowly, as if afraid his large finger would poke his son the wrong way and hurt him. He brushed over the baby's cheek lightly with the knuckle of his finger. "Baby...you did it..." Joseph looked down at Ellie in amazement. It was easy to see why Ellie's belly had been so big now, especially since their daughter was still waiting for her turn.
Ellie Sweat covered the small girl's forehead as she looked over her son. Her son. Their son. But the baby was whisked away all too quickly, his cries still letting him know he was there in the room as they brought him to his table to do all the things Ellie read about like the APGAR test and all that. Plus she still had her little girl. The doctor reached her arm inside Ellie, literally, checking the baby and it's position, before breaking the water. More contractions. It was gonna happen all over again. But apparently this one would be much faster and much smoother.
Jo reacted defensively when they took his son away without a word, taking a step with every intention of snatching him right back. But then he saw they were just taking Isaac to the side to check up on him, so Joseph settled down and turned his attention back to Ellie. He combed his fingers through her hair, murmuring, "you're amazing, baby girl. I love you so much." He leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Give Isaac a sister now, okay? You can do this."
Ellie leaned into his touch, her eyes closing as she felt the contractions coming. It was fast. She was pushing again within a couple minutes, but the pain was far less than before, and Ellie, despite her fatigue, was able to do just what she had before. Six minutes and 37 seconds after her brother, Colette came into the world. She was quiet until they placed her on Ellie's chest like they had Isaac, the little girl then beginning to cry from the traumatic experience, head full of hair just like her father and brother.
Jo grinned widely at his two girls, getting the urge to bring Isaac over too but didn't know if that was allowed. He breathed a sigh of relief that Ellie made it, delivered their children safely into this world. Stroking her hair, a feeling of profound thankfulness welled up in his chest. Seeing their children cemented something in him, a fierce devotion that rested on his broad shoulders. "Hey, Colette..." He greeted softly, wriggling his finger gently against the baby's palm.
Ellie smiled fondly at the sight of her boyfriend and their daughter. She was theirs, and that was astounding, something that Ellie still couldn't really process. They took Colette to do the same thing they had with Isaac, taking to test her and make sure she was alright, and wash them. "They'll be back soon baby." She assured Jo. Ellie slowly pushed herself up, pulling wires and things from her without even a care. She just....needed a shower. "Help me?" She asked, reaching for his arm.
Jo looked over to their kids, an inexplicable yearning tugging at him. He sighed, pushing down the overprotectiveness. He directed his attention to his girlfriend, choosing to carefully scoop her up into his arms. "Of course, babe." He carried her carefully into the shower, keeping a secure hold around her until he was certain she was stable. "You okay? I'm gonna grab your stuff from the bag."
Ellie nodded with a thankful smile as she turned on the shower. She knew it was probably too soon and all that but she didn't care, she just... needed it. Ellie stepped under the stream and let the water hit her, smiling softly to Jo when he returned with her things and quickly washed herself. She didn't want to take long, she wanted to be back before the babies were done. She tried to slip into some clean clothes as quick as possible, gripping the sink for support. Eventually the girl was showered and felt better, taking a seat on the bed. Soon enough the babies were wheeled back inside, laying in the small hospital cribs. "Would you like to hold them?" The nurse asked, looking to the both of them expectantly.
Jo glanced over at Ellie, shifting in place nervously. God, no, he didn't want to hold them. After all the work Ellie put into delivering them, he didn't want to accidentally drop one and break it. No refunds on babies either. Joseph said nothing aloud but was content to look at their squint face with a proud smile.
Ellie noticed Jo's obvious discomfort, a soft smile spreading over her face. "We can take it from here." She assured the nurse, moving over to Isaac and smiling down at him as he wiggled about in his little swaddle. "Hi little meatball." She cooed softly, scooping him up into her arms and cradling him close to her. "Hi baby boy." Ellie held him close to her, pressing her lips to his forehead and breathing him in. Babies always smelled wonderful. Looking up at Jo, she absolutely beamed over at him before making her way over. "C'mere, love. It's okay." Sitting down beside him, she scooted closer, her body fitting into his side, under the crook of his arm, just like she always did.
Jo settled into this part easily enough with Ellie tucked against him. He rubbed soft circles on his girlfriend's shoulder with the pad of his thumb, liking Isaac's nickname. Meatball. Maybe he could teach the little guy boxing one day. Joseph wriggled his finger in Isaac's hand, not really knowing any other way of interacting with babies. "Hey there, meatball." He uttered in a low, gentle voice.
Ellie couldn't stop smiling, cooing softly at the little human in her arms. She let Jo get used to seeing the baby for another minute before scooting back a bit and turning to him. "Hold your arms like how I have mine, like a cradle. It's okay baby, just remember back to the classes we went to. You're gonna be fine. Remember to always support his head, okay? C'mon, it's okay."
Jo eyed her warily, trying to mimic her arms. "You literally just brought him into this world. You sure you want him to leave it just as quick?"
Ellie glared at him. "You were fine with the dolls at the class. You'll be fine now. Trust me, it's instinct once you have him. He's yours. Remember, have faith in me." She slid close to him, slowly passing the baby over and placing him in Jo's arms with a smile. "You're okay."
Jo handled his son carefully, much like a bomb squad handles an explosive device. He looked down at Isaac and slowly leaned down to press a kiss to his boy's forehead. "Hi." The little body in his arms lay there contently without a fuss. Joseph tilted his head, examining him curiously then turned to Ellie. "We're parents." He stated the obvious, eyes widening.
Ellie laughed softly at him, nodding her head. "That's your baby boy, mhm." She retrieved their daughter for herself, cuddling the child close in her arms as she went back to sit besides Jo. "And this is your little girl." She nudged Jo gently, her head leaning on his shoulder. "We did pretty good, huh, Joey?" She boasted as the little baby yawned.
Jo kissed the top of her head, full of affection. "Yeah..." He smiled softly. "You think Clit's gonna be jealous?"
Ellie giggled softly, nodding her head. "Probably..." She paused, thinking for a minute. "No actually, he'll probably just be excited for more people. He's a very social doggy." She giggled, nodding firmly.
Landon joined the chat 39 hours ago
Jo poked his baby's puffy cheeks. "We can put treats all over the twins. Clit will lick 'em right up."
Ellie practically snorted, nudging him. "Don't you even try, mister." She traced her daughter's skin with her finger, letting the little girl wrap her minuscule fingers around her own. "I think she's gonna be a daddy's girl."
Landon hadn't even noticed his phone had died during his shift at Western Beef, so when he got back to his cramped apartment and plugged his phone in, he was concerned to see a voicemail from Jo. There was only one thing he could think for the message to possibly say, and when he held the phone to his ear to listen, his theory was confirmed. "Shit," he breathed, not even listening to the full message before ripping the phone from the charger and shoving it in his pocket. Patting his pockets and making sure he had everything he needed, he walked right back out of the apartment and headed quickly to the hospital. All the way there, the actual idea of real live children never even crossed his mind. The realism of the whole thing wasn't something he'd properly prepared for. Instead, he was just wondering if he should have gotten Ellie some sort of gift. Finally at the hospital, he pulled out his barely charged phone to call Jo again. He had no idea where Ellie even was, and hopefully he wasn't too busy to help Landon out.
Jo furrowed his brows when his pocket vibrated, shifting a squirming Isaac in his arms to get it. A picture of Landon chugging 40s taped to his hands showed on his phone's screen. "Yo, you're late to the party, man. 533. Get over here."
Landon groaned, looking around for signs to point him to the maternity ward. "Yeah, fuck, I'll be there." He found something to point him in the right direction, and hustled up to the ward. He borderline ran down the hall looking at every number til he found 533, then burst through the door. "I'm fuckin he--" Impossibly small creatures rested in his friend's arms, and Landon wasn't sure how to handle the idea. Babies. There were babies in their lives. Jo and Elllie had brought new people into this world, and all Landon could do was stare from one to the other for a good thirty seconds. "Holy shit, you guys," he spoke softly, still looking at the infants. "Holy...fuckin'....shit."
Jo motioned their friend over, grinning ear to ear. He proudly held up his baby boy in the air like Rafiki presenting Simba over all of Pride Rock. "Hey, buddy. Meet Isaac. Isaac Landon Mills."
Ellie looked up at her poor child being held in the air like a lion cub. Glaring over at Jo, she gave him a little swat on the arm with the back of her hand. "Don't traumatize him, he's like an hour or two old." Looking to Landon, she beamed. "Yeah. That's Isaac Landon. And then we have Colette Grace. They're you're god kids."
Landon 's mouth dropped open when he heard the little boy's middle name. "L-landon? As in...me? I..." The tears welled up in his eyes as he stared at the tiny thing in Jo's hands. They'd named one after him. As he heard Ellie's words, he registered they'd named one after Grace, too. "Can...Can I..." he reached towards Isaac, terrified but intrigued.
Jo was still a little afraid of dropping babies left and right, so he waited for Landon to hold Isaac securely before letting the little one go. In this moment, he was very content. "Say hi to your godfather, Isaac."
Landon held tightly to Isaac, making sure he wouldn't drop the fragile thing. Peering down to his face, Landon still felt tears in his eyes as he smiled. "Shit, what's up little buddy? Your parents are dumb for letting me hold you, you're mine now." He chuckled. "They're never gettin' you back."
Ellie couldn't stop beaming even if she tried. Regardless of her post-labor glow, the girl was just surging with emotions of pure elation. "It was important to me that their middle names meant something. You've been such a big part of my life, and Jo's, and I know you're gonna be an even bigger part of theirs." Ellie turned to Jo, raising her chin slightly as if to tell him to assume the position. "Here little munchkin. Go to daddy. Say hi." She cooed, handing their daughter over to Jo.
Jo looked surprised when Ellie passed Colette to him. He automatically cradled his daughter in his arms. Having never held her before, his hazel eyes sparkled in wonder. "You got my eyes too. Hey, baby girl." He greeted softly then leaned down to kiss her forehead. Joseph grinned at Ellie, waving Colette hand at her.
Ellie looked on lovingly, her head leaning against his arm as she looked at Jo and Landon. "We did it, guys." She said softly, looking between the men. "You remember the first time we were in a hospital room all together?" She smiled at the memory after her accident. "Seems like we came full circle in the best way."
Landon chuckled. "Yeah, now I have two new people to try to explain the Kardashians to." He carefully rubbed the top of Isaac's head, feeling the fine hairs and smiling. "I can't even think of how life used to be, y'know? Things were so weird and different."
Ellie giggled softly, nodding her head. "A lot has changed. But thankfully it hasn't all been bad. There's been a lot of good."
Landon shook his head. "Wouldn't have anything different."
Ellie felt a little bit of a devilish smirk form on her lips. "Yeah well, you've got your little friend too to add to all that so I'm sure you're pretty content, huh, bucko."
Jo sighed quietly, some tension rolling off of his shoulders as he listened to their conversation. The last time he was at the hospital, he was terrified that he'd lose the girl he loved. Now, two more little ones to love entered his life. Joseph chuckled at Ellie and Landon's teasing banter.
Landon thought of Jude right as Ellie mentioned her, and an idea popped into his head. "Hey, can we take a picture of them? I wanna send it to her. And my mom. She'll kill me if I don't tell her like, right now."
Jo completely forgot about that. Pictures, they had to get them. Lots of them. All the pictures.
Ellie smiled, nodding her head. "Yeah of course. You wanna sit and hold them both and we can take a picture of that for you? Or you want one of just the twins?"
Landon pondered the poses for a moment. "Which one do you think she'd like more?" By 'she' he'd meant Jude, but he figured the question would work for his mother, as well.
Jo wasn't too comfortable with the idea of anyone holding both twins at once. "Just take pictures of them one by one. Spam her with baby pics."
Ellie gave Jo a look. "Baby, if you're sitting, it's okay. There's nothing to worry about."
Jo huffed a little, overprotective to a fault. Still, he made sure Landon was definitely sitting down safely before passing Colette to him as well. Joseph was happy Landon was here to share this moment with them, but now he was also making the step to trust him with their children as well. He took Landon's phone and aimed the camera at him. "Alright, buddy. Let's make Mama Montgomery and your girl jealous."