Dream Like New York

IF YOU DON'T PICK A SUIT, I'M COMING INTO THAT FUCKING DRESSING ROOM AND IMPALING YOU WITH A MANNEQUIN'S HEAD.

Cutest beansprout ever, honestly. Coming to a birthing suite near you: 23rd April, 2017

You 2 ok up there?

Just so you have plenty of a head's up - we're going to be moving in a few weeks.

Who: Angela Ashwood and Clint Chevalier
What: Desperate times call for desperate measures
Where: Clint's place, NYC
When: Friday morning

As much as they wished things would stop being so stressful, they just weren't. Not yet. It was too soon. What that meant was the Lincoln was still very much recovering, and because of that, he still needed a lot of help and care from Clint. The knock-on effect of that was that Clint was exhausted. He was doing his absolute best and Lincoln was his Number One priority with everything. But his stress and worry had caused insomnia, which had caused him to fall asleep at the wheel and crash his car. Then, a few weeks later, Lincoln had developed an infection in his stomach and got quite sick, passing out on the bathroom floor. At the time, Clint had been crashed out in a deep sleep because he finally bit the bullet and took the prescribed sleeping pills. Lincoln was left feeling like it was all too much for Clint to handle, and Clint was left feeling like he was failing at caring for his husband.

That's why it was time to call for back-up. Angela had come up with the idea of getting a big place they could all live together, which would give Clint extra help if he needed it. They would all still have their own lives, but they were a family and families were supposed to stick together in times of need. This was one hell of a time of need... but she knew how hard it would be for Clint because he wasn't used to needing help of this level. He was always used to being in complete control of everything. It had all slipped out of his hands when Lincoln had been stabbed and nearly murdered.

That morning was a perfect example and Angela knew it was time to sit Clint down and talk. Lincoln had a few appointments at the hospital with doctors and physiotherapists that morning, but Clint had been up all through the night with a bad migraine. Lincoln had called Emily first thing and asked if she could take him to his appointment because Clint was knocked down with the migraine. Emily agreed without hesitation, of course. But it led to her and Angela having a quiet conversation in bed before they got up about it being time to talk to Clint about this suggestion. Instead of bombarding him, they decided Angela was the best to talk to him. They had an open and honest, yet very close, relationship. Angela was one of the few people who could talk to Clint on a different level.

Emily had bundled Lincoln up to take him to the hospital, fussing over him and him letting her. Twin prerogative. Angela waited a little while before Clint surfaced from the bedroom looking now unlike the walking dead. She went straight over to him and wrapped her arms around him in a secure hug, rubbing his back. "When did you last puke? You probably need some fluids. Are you up to eating? I can make you a bit of toast and a cuppa," she offered quietly and pulled back to kiss him on the forehead.

Can you or Lewis go to Clint's place right now? It's urgent. Call me.

Left beside Emily's phone on the dresser with a Post-It note:

Surprise (and much needed) cuddles with my favourite little lady in the whole world ♥

I can't believe this came out of me.

Who: Angela Ashwood, Emily Cole, Clint Chevalier, Austin Watson-Shaw and Beau Watson-Shaw
What: Crazy little thing call surrogacy
Where: Maternity Unit, Mount Sinai
When: Way too long after THIS

It wasn't Braxton-Hicks. That was pretty much confirmed as soon as Angela was taken to the Maternity Unit and examined. She was definitely in labour, but at that point, it had also been in the very early stages. Because Angela had some smaller issues with blood pressure drops in the last trimester where she had passed out a couple of times (hence the early maternity leave from work), they didn't want to send her home to wait until it progressed more. She was now into the 22nd hour of labour, and she was more than ready for this to be over. They asked if she wanted to get in the bath, but it lead to her having a near nervous breakdown worrying that the baby would drown, despite being reminded it was a perfectly safe way to deliver a baby who was in fluid in her belly anyway.

Still, that was a hell-to-the-no situation. Then, of course, Clint asked if he could get in the bath instead and earned a slap in the head from Angela. For the last hour, she had been standing up and pacing because it seemed to be the only thing that helped the pain. They offered her an epidural, but said it wasn't even time for that yet. As much as she hoped it would be one of those relatively quick and easy births, as Beau pointed out, it was Austin's genes so there was no way it wouldn't make a fashionably late grand entrance.

She was not seated on one of those huge fit-balls. It was purple, and now bedazzled, thanks to Austin who had made it more fashionable and blingy for her. She just hope none of those bitches broke off and got stuck anywhere uncomfortable. Clint was sitting in one of the chairs in the room and Angela had her head resting against his shoulder. Emily was nearby holding her hand. Beau was chilled out and reclined on Angela's hospital bed, while Austin looked around ready to jump out of his skin at any minute... as if there were a chance the baby might just pop out like a slingshot without warning.

She shook her head against Clint's shoulder. "I don't want to do this anymore. I give up. Someone else can have a turn. I suck at it," she moaned. She was exhausted, but still uncertain of how much longer this would go on.

Now the sneaky bitch is trying to set me up with another surrogate in the Lamaze class. Is it au fait to slap your baby daddy?

Who: Angela Ashwood with Clint Chevalier and Lincoln Cole
What: Love hurts
Where: ICU, Mount Sinai
When: Later, after THIS

It had been a horrible, very long day for everyone. They were all there at the hospital to wait through Lincoln's surgery - Angela, Lorenzo, Lewis, Emily, Jude - but they had also respected Clint's need to be alone for the duration. They waited down in the ICU waiting room where Lincoln would be transferred to if he made it through the surgery. Clint was apparently up in the OR waiting area where family and friends were allowed to wait out the surgery of their loved ones.

Being as heavily pregnant as she was, it wasn't an easy time for Angela physically. It wasn't an easy time for anyone emotionally. They were all very aware of the fact Lincoln might not make it through the arduous third surgery to try to repair the damage he was left with after he was nearly stabbed to death. Angela was seven and a half months pregnant, and she felt it too. That didn't mean she would stay away from the hospital that day. Short of going into early labour and having to deliver a baby, she wouldn't move from that waiting room until new came.

( It was a long time before it did, but Dave eventually tracked them down to sit them all down and give them the same sort of information he had finished advising Clint of... )

NARRATIVE, COMPLETE

Who: Angela Ashwood and Clint Chevalier
What: D&Ms
Where: Angela's place
When: After THIS

Clint was built like a fucking war horse, so the fact he had fallen ill said a lot for how much he was buckling under the pressure. Angela hadn't gotten a chance to tell Ainsley that Clint was going to be staying with them for a little while, but she knew it would all work. They were all family, and this was what family did when times were tough. They were there, they were supportive, and they loved you and cared for you unconditionally. Clint was like a brother to her in so many ways. He was just as much part of her family as anyone blood related, and so was Lincoln. She had definitely earned her Fag Hag Stripes over the years. She would do anything for the people she loved. That was probably evidence by the fact she was currently just six weeks off giving birth to a surrogate baby for two more of her friends.

Her pregnancy was proceeding as normal, however, so that wasn't an issue here. The issue was that Clint was ill and he was feeling miserable because of it. Not just physically, but emotionally because the hospital staff wouldn't let anyone who could potentially have something contagious into the ICU. It was protocol. If Clint had a bug of any description, he couldn't go in to see Lincoln... when Lincoln was currently in a bad way. If Lincoln's condition worsened any further, he would be packed off to emergency surgery for a third time.

Angela had been with Lincoln, and wanted to talk to Clint now. She didn't want Clint to be holed up in her spare room alone and miserable, when he probably had crazy amounts of things going on in his mind. She came in and brought him a cup of peppermint tea. "See if you can keep that down," he coaxed and came to sit beside him on the bed.

Who: Angela Ashwood and Lincoln Cole
What: Replacement company
Where: ICU, Mount Sinai
When: Friday evening

As Cole predicted, Lincoln had slept most of the day that Angela had been there with him. She didn't mind at all being here for him because Cole couldn't be. She talked a lot to Christian about where things were standing with Lincoln's condition, and asked him what his opinion was on Lincoln's best project prognosis. It was just all hard to know at the moment, and she did respect that. It had been the same with Lewis when he was so badly harmed. There had been a few weeks there where they really feared Lewis wouldn't wake up because he had internal injuries, but he had eventually bounced back. He did have issues with anxiety now, and had some other PTSD problems now and again, but he had come back to them the same beautiful person he was.

Being heavily pregnant now, with just six weeks until her due date, it got uncomfortable now and again for Angela to sit. She had gotten up for a bit of a walk, to use the bathroom and get a cup of tea. When she got back, Lincoln was awake, and she waited while the nurses gave him a bed bath and tried to help him feel a little bit more comfortable with freshening him up. It didn't take away the fact he was still in a hospital bed hooked up to tubes and wires.

When she got the green light to go back in now Lincoln was decent again, she sat beside him and took his hand. "Hey, sweetie. How are you feeling?" she asked him softly, brushing the back of his hand with her fingertips tenderly.