The hospital machines droned down Mikey's and Franks ears the whole fourteen hours. Though this labor went faster than his first pregnancy, it still felt like it took forever for their baby to be born.
"You did awesome Mikey. He's so perfect." Frank spoke in a hushed tone. Baby Liam James Iero was born at 8:27pm on July 17th, 2011. He was perfectly healthy, a little smaller than average but healthy nonetheless.
The tiny newborn clung to Mikey's hospital gown, his fingers balled tightly as his chest rose and fall, letting out soft, sleepy coos. He was everything the couple imagined, he looked like Frank a lot more than he looked like Mikey.
"Rays bringing Grace soon, he's on his way." Mikey whispered back, trying not to wake the sleeping baby on his chest. "Is that okay..?"
Grace was Mikey's daughter. Ray and Mikey were together six years and married four years, but found that their love for each other died out. After a year of marriage, Mikey got pregnant with Grace. They were excited to have a baby, Grace loved her parents. Unfortunately, they divorced when she was two years old.
Ray and Mikey didn't shun each other, Mikey didn't take Grace and tell Ray he wasn't allowed to see her. Ray was free to see Grace whenever he wanted, he took her whenever Mikey and his new husband Frank went on dates. Mikey and Ray remained close friends after realising their romantic attraction for each other had died.
Grace was nine years old, she turned four when Mikey met Frank. It was like love at first sight. They married when Grace was five and a half; she was the flower girl at their wedding. Now, just two years after, Mikey had just welcomed their first child together into the world.
"Why are you worried Mikey? I'm totally fine with it. You and Ray need to be on good terms for Grace." Ray offered to take Grace as Mikey neared the end of his pregnancy. He didn't want Grace to be there when he went into labor, so Ray took her for the final week leading up to the full term mark.
Liam was waking up, his tiny eyes finally opening and adjusting to the light. "Frankie, you wanna hold your son?"
Frank didn't waste a second to scoop the newborn off of Mikey. "Hey Liam, good nap? I think mommy needs one too. Why did you ask if i was okay with Ray bringing Grace..?"
The younger just shrugged. "Grace calls me mom, but now i'm a mom to your baby."
"Okay? Grace is your kid too, you're still Graces mom as much as you are Liams. You're a great mom to both."
The door very slowly creeped open. Mikey saw his ex husband poke his head through and look around, smiling softly at Mikey. Ray remembered Mikey in hospital after having Grace. Seeing him there again reminded him of it.
"Congratulations guys!" He said with a warm smile, quickly greeting Mikey with a hug. He saw the little bundle of blankets in Franks arms, a little baby's face hidden inside. "You must be Liam.."
"Wheres Grace?" Mikey was quick to ask, not seeing his young daughter with Ray.
"She's outside of the room. I told her i just wanted to make sure you guys were awake so we weren't waking you up. I'll get her now."
Grace would probably want to hold Liam, Frank thought. Mikey would only let her hold him if she was sitting right next to Mikey, in case he cried or needed his mommy.
Frank gently placed the infant back in Mikey's arms. Liam looked up at Mikey in wonder, his little pacifier hanging out of his mouth a little. He had already been fed about ten minutes before, he should be fine Mikey thought.
"Frankie!" Grace called out, running to Frank with open arms. Even though she was just his step daughter, Frank loved Grace a lot. "Mommy!"
"Careful Grace, he's delicate." Mikey quickly shushed her, holding his finger to his lips to tell her to be quiet. Liam didn't make much of a fuss at hearing Graces voice. He would've been used to it since Grace talked to him so much before he was born.
"Mama, what's his name?" She asked. Ray lifted her up and placed her beside Mikey on the bed. She looked over and saw the little boy looking around the room with his eyes.
"This is Liam. He's your half brother." Though Grace said she wanted him to be her actual, full brother, he wouldn't be. He wasn't Rays kid, he was Franks. "Liam James-"
"Liam Toro? Thats his name, right?" Mikey and Ray looked at each other awkwardly. Liam was an Iero, just like Mikey.
After their divorce, Mikey changed his name back to Way. Grace remained a Toro. She often wondered why her mom was a Way and she was a Toro, but she was always too young to understand.
Frank gave her a little hug before he kneeled down at the side of the bed. "Grace, your mom isn't a Toro. You know your mom and dad don't live together anymore. So...you know how mommy married me, and your papa married Christa? Christa became a Toro, didnt she?"
Frank was calm, she had to learn that parents don't always stay together. Some move on to find the right person. "Well...mommy became an Iero, like me. His name is Mikey Iero, isn't it?"
Grace just nodded. "But if Liam is my baby brother, why isn't he Liam Toro?"
He let out a little sigh. "His name is Liam Iero because me and mommy are Ieros. Thats our family name. Grace, it's complicated. All you need to know is that mommy had a new baby but he's an Iero, not a Toro."
Liam made a sleepy noise as he reached up for Mikey. Mikey left a soft kiss on his forehead, before looking down at his eldest. "Do you want to hold him?"
Frank and Ray stood awkwardly next to each other. It wasn't that Frank hated Ray...it was more of im uncomfortable standing next to my husbands ex who had a baby with my husband. They stood in complete silence, other than the occasional attempt to make small talk.
Liam lay gently in Graces arms, sucking his pacifier as Mikey showed her properly how to hold him. "He might recognise your voice, Grace." Frank said with a smile.
"How?"
"Before he was born, we used to talk to him, didn't we?"
Her little face lit up as she laughed a little. "He kicked mommy when you talked, Frankie."
"Yeah! And when i held him and spoke to him, he recognised my voice. I think he recognises yours too."
Mikey used to hum and sing to Liam during the restless nights, when Mikey had heartburn and Liam decided to kick around when Frank was sleeping. Frank was the only one who could settle Liam. So instead, Mikey sung. Mikey liked to sing, like his older brother.
Mikey did have a talent for singing, but he never sang in front of anyone. It was for Liam and Grace as babies only.
"Mama, he's hurting my arm." Grace groaned, slipping her arm from under Liams little legs. Carrying around a baby all day in his arms was something Mikey had to quickly get used to, and Frank. Liam was Franks first baby, Mikey's second. "When are you going to live with daddy again..?" She asked with a sigh.
Though she lived with her mom, Ray still had her for half of the week. It was annoying that she was back and forth between parents, she was annoyed that they were moving on and finding new partners and having kids.
"I'm not going to, Grace. We live with Frankie, and he needs to be with Liam too."
"What if you live with papa too? Me, you, Frankie, Liam, Christa and papa?"
Christa seemed like a really nice wife for Ray, Mikey was happy for him, they just chose not to attend each others weddings. "No Grace...just me, you, Frankie and now Liam. Papa has Christa and you see them half of the week anyway."
-
Mikey ended up falling asleep with both babies with him; Liam on his chest and Grace in his arm. Frank said goodbye to Ray, they would be taking Grace for the next few days while Liam adjusted to his new home.
Seeing Mikey in a hospital bed was awful for Frank, but seeing the reason he was there, the peaceful child sleeping on his chest and Mikeys first baby sleeping next to him made it okay. Mikey had Franks baby, their first baby together. Frank was so happy that Mikey was moving on, and building a new family with him.
