One and Only ( Scomiche ) - #Wattys2016

Something

A/N: So. I'm sorry for being late, if you follow me on twitter you'll know I've been whining about being without wifi for the last week. This gave me the chance to struggle some more with this chapter and rewrite it 6 times. Yaaaay. *sarcasm* 

I'm just gonna leave this here and run away. It's 6k words and I had my wifey beta it but I'm like 100% sure there are still mistakes because that's what happens whenever I update. What's life without struggle, right?

Okay, enjoy folks and I'll see you..well, hopefully soon or it means my wifi broke again.

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The room was surprisingly very colorful, with bright walls painted in a delicate green, animal stencils covering part of them along with paintings and what looked like awards and diplomas. A big mahogany desk was placed on the far end of the room in front of the spacious window, a stack of neatly organized papers next to a huge computer screen. On the examination table was placed some sort of stuffed animal that Mitch didn't really recognize, and set on the small cabinet next to it were a set of medical instruments and a bunch of lollipops. The room had a relaxed feeling to it, and it was obvious that every element had been selected to ease the serious atmosphere of it, so that children - and parents - wouldn't feel as intimidated.

Mitch had no idea what he had expected when they stepped foot inside Dr. Steiner's office, but the attractive man that greeted them hadn't been it. He looked young, probably younger than he really was, with kind brown eyes, dark short hair and a beard that wasn't. He stood up when they walked in, thanking his assistant and then motioning them towards the two black chairs in front of his desk.

"Mr. Hoying, Mr. Grassi, it's a pleasure to meet you."

He wondered if Scott was feeling as scrutinized as he felt as they took their seats, James set on the blonde's lap. Dr. Steiner's office was far away from their house, right in the center of the city, and they knew nothing about the man besides the fact that he was Jamie's pediatrician and that Shannon used to speak highly of him – or so Elizabeth had told them when they had called her to ask for his number. Mitch had secretly hoped to find a new doctor, but on a second thought he knew that it was a selfish idea. Dr. Steiner knew James already and had all his medical information, which made things easier for all of them.

"The pleasure is ours. Thank you for agreeing to meet us in such a short notice, but Jamie's cough got really bad yesterday and we were worried." It was easy to see that Scott had stepped into professional mode, his lighthearted personality replaced by a more mature behavior, his face relaxed and stern at the same time. He talked with confidence, his eyes never leaving the doctor's face, and Mitch couldn't help but admire him.

"That's not a problem, don't worry about it. I didn't have an appointment and it's good that you were concerned. The first experience with a child's health is never easy for new parents." The man's smile was kind, his eyes warm, and Mitch felt himself relax when he realized that the doctor wasn't reacting badly at the idea that James, who once had one single mother, now had two fathers. He was almost ashamed to admit that he had been worried about it – but he knew how ignorant some people could be, how afraid of change.

He got distracted by a loud coughing coming from James, the sound making his heart clench as the toddler coughed and coughed, struggling to breathe in between. Scott tightened his grip on him, shaking his legs up and down in a soothing way, trying to delay the whining cry that he was sure was about to happen soon.

"Now," the doctor started again, his gaze shifting to focus on Jamie's face, "tell me exactly when the cough started. Please try not to forget details, it will make the visit easier."

"It started three days ago," Mitch began, taking over the conversation given how busy the blonde was comforting their son. "It wasn't this bad at first, just a cough now and then. But then it increased so much that he couldn't sleep or breathe properly, which made him a lot more tired and cranky."