Closer 2

99.

"You must be Brett and Eddy?" a nurse they hadn't seen before asked after he entered the waiting room. Eddy had fallen asleep on Brett's shoulder, but was gently shaken awake by his boyfriend when the nurse entered and spoke to them.

"Yes?" Brett responded, having to clear his throat to get his voice to work. It was way past midnight and they had been there for hours without really getting any news.

"I've come to tell you that the situation has gotten worse, so it's been decided that the best option right now is a c-section," the nurse began, folding his hands. Brett felt his stomach sink through the floor, and Eddy desperately reaching for his hand. "Which, as you know, will be a bit premature."

"Will they be okay?" Eddy squeaked, and Brett took Eddy's hand firmly between his and squeezed it.

"I can't promise anything, but we do think that there are good chances," the nurse said with a nod. "If you want to follow me and we'll get you suited in the room they'll be rolled into once the doctors have cleared them."

Eddy got up and stretched a bit, but paused halfway through the stretch.
"W... Wait, they're... Born today? But that's like two... Two and a half months...?" he asked, stumbling through his words. "That's way too early, they're not... I mean..."

"The alternative is unfortunately that they won't get enough nutrition in the womb due to the placenta separating from the uterine wall..." the nurse explained gently. "I can assure you we wouldn't do this unless we believed it was absolutely necessary. Now if you could please follow me? We can talk more once we get there."

Brett stood up as well and placed an arm around Eddy, squeezing him slightly.
"Let's go wait for our boys," he said softly, looking up at Eddy who looked about ready to tell the poor nurse off.

Eddy exhaled shakily but ended up following the nurse out of the waiting room with Brett. He felt dizzy from the scary situation. Nothing seemed to be working out, and he was terrified something would happen to them.

"We haven't even decided their names yet," he realized as a squeak out loud as they got to the door the nurse held open for them. The room was mostly empty except a pair of comfy chairs and a small table.

"So when they come out, they'll likely be quite small and fragile and will be in an incubator at first," the nurse interrupted Eddy's train of thought apologetically. "And you likely won't get to hold them at first."

Brett nodded slightly at what he said, mostly looking at Eddy who seemed ready to break.

"Do you want to wait on your own, or would you like me to stay with you?" the nurse asked softly.

"We'll be on our own. We can just call if we need you, right?"

"Of course," the nurse smiled at the shaky pair before leaving them, closing the door behind him.

Eddy finally let out a sob once they were on their own, tears running down his face as he pretty much broke down in Brett's arms. This was not how he imagined becoming a dad again. All he had caused with this was pain and suffering for Brett, for himself and now also for the twins.

"It's gonna be okay, Eddy mine," Brett mumbled softly, squeezing him tightly. "Shh, Eddy love."

"I'm so sorry for everything, it's all my fault. I'm so sorry," Eddy sobbed, shaking his head. At that point Brett decided to sit down in one of the two comfy chairs and pulling his poor Eddy into a tight hug.

"It's not, love. You've done everything you can, and it'll be okay. We're meeting our boys today, yeah? It's gonna be great to see how much they look like you," Brett mumbled, stroking Eddy's back. "The nurse said it was the best thing for them. Besides, twins tend to be a bit early."

Eddy sniffled, shaking his head slightly again. Brett decided to just keep talking to calm him more.

"Have you thought of any names?" Brett asked softly, brushing Eddy's bangs to the side. "Otherwise I have some suggestions."

"What are your suggestions?" Eddy asked quietly, trying to wipe his tears. He still felt so shaky, so scared, but he knew what Brett was trying to do. He wanted it to work too.

"I've thought about... Aiden?" Brett said with a small smile. He loved the way his heart fluttered when hw thought about it. "And maybe Matthew? Just suggestions, though."

"I like Aiden," Eddy mumbled, looking at Brett. He didn't think he would have thought about names at all, so it took him a bit with surprise. "I'm not sure about Matthew, though. Sounds a bit... Bit harsh?"

"We don't have to do Matthew," Brett shrugged, kissing Eddy's cheek. "We have a bit of time to find something better now."

"I've thought of a name too, but I think it's a bit long," Eddy said quietly, licking his lips. "Benjamin."

Brett thought a bit, saying the name out loud a few times to get the feeling of it.
"We could shorten it in the daily. Ben, or Benny? Benji?" he suggested with a smile. "I like Benjamin."

"You do?" Eddy asked, his face slowly matching Brett's smile. "We can do Benjamin and Aiden, if you like that?"

"I do like that. I love that," Brett nodded, pulling Eddy into a hug. "I love you."

"I love you too," Eddy mumbled back, burying his face in Brett's neck again. "And I love our boys. They have to be okay."

"If they're anything like their dad, they're fighters. They'll make it. Of course they will," Brett mumbled firmly, stroking Eddy's back while keeping the hug.

"I hope so," Eddy sighed softly. "Aiden and Benjamin."