Unplanned

Chapter 14: Baby 3

  Now that Ian no longer had the weight of the twins and had recovered from the birth, he helped Svetlana out a hell of a lot of the time. Although Mickey and her were friends Mickey still kept his distance, the memories from that day months ago obviously still plagued him. Ian hadn't gone back off to work now, receiving a small maternity pay from Linda who understood his reluctance to go back to work just yet, said that she'd pay him for another four months if he needed it. Mandy on the other hand worked which left Ian was Svetlana.

  The woman was now spending most of her time at home as he was and she was a massive help with Ian's twins despite her condition. Just watching the way she was with them warmed his heart and he knew that she was going to make a wonderful mother. The times that they weren't looking after the babies Svetlana taught him Russian, something that he was getting rather efficient at. They would enjoy speaking it in front of Mickey just to annoy him and when Mickey got pissed the sex was so good.

  Ian watched his pregnant friend though and dreaded the day that her son would be born. He always felt guilty for the thought but he was so tired all the time. Mickey had taken a parental leave at the club for two weeks and he had been dealing with the boys also meaning that both of them looked and acted rather like zombies.

  When Ian had first noticed his boyfriend's condition he had had a moment of fear that Mickey would go back on his promise and leave or kick them out. That fear was only a brief one however when he watched Mickey with their sons. He would often carry them around, bouncing them in his arms and cooing at them, he would play with them and the little crinkly toys that they had brought them. When he did that they would lie there with huge eyes- ones that had turned from blue to green- staring up, gurgling and giggling as tiny wrinkled hands reached up with little coordination to touch. Those moments watching the man he loved playing with their children were going to be some of his best memories he had decided.

  It was strange to think that he had ever contemplated leaving Chicago for the army. Now even if he didn't have his bipolar prohibiting signing up, he wouldn't contemplate it. Even though he had excepted that his dream was dead he wasn't really thinking or worrying about the future right now, they had a steady income and the present was just so perfect.

  Literally the only thing that Ian worried about now was how Mickey was going to react to his son with Svetlana. The redhead knew that his boyfriend had been trying to hide how uncomfortable with Lana's growing belly but Ian still saw. He also knew that he needed to talk to Mickey about it, he needed Mickey to know that he understood his hesitance towards this other baby.

  It was that night that Ian decided to do it. He was just crawling back up Mickey's body after having sucked him off, kissing his way up his lover's relaxed form and revelling in Mickey's hand stroking through his hair. As soon as he had reached his chest, Ian rested his chin and looked up into Mickey's face, trying to think about what exactly he should say. Mickey seemed to notice his hesitance as he looked down, meeting Ian's eye and raising a questioning eyebrow.

  "I... I get if you feel uncomfortable around Svetlana and your baby with her. I just want you to know that I understand. We understand Mick. Me and her both," Ian said, raising himself up on his elbows so that he was looking directly down on the other.

  For a long moment Mickey just looked up at him in silence. His hands rested on Ian's naked sides, trailing up and down, softly, almost unconsciously. It seemed that it was Mickey's turn to try and struggle putting a sentence together as he chewed on his lip.

  "Thank you and I will try to love him but I never will as much as our twins," he said eventually.

  "Try but don't push yourself. I'm sure in a few years it won't matter to any of us who the babies popped out of, look at how much Lana loves our boys," Ian replied.

  "Yeah... yeah I bet you're right man," Mickey nodded slowly.

  "Usually am," Ian grinned, trying to lighten the mood. It worked as Mickey shoved him off of him and promptly preceded to roughly tickle him until he was writhing on the bed and begging for mercy. 

 ***

  Mercifully they were all there when Lana went into labour. They drove her into the hospital and it was Ian that held her hand through the process, sympathising with her pained screams. The midwife happened to be the same one that Ian had had for his twins, one that was giving them strange and them amused looks.

  Finally Lana's baby was born, checked over and just as healthy as the twins. Svetlana held her son reverently in her arms and Ian looked on once again seeing Mickey in one of his sons. He was a beautiful boy with sodden blond hair and who knew how to use his lungs, screaming immediately to announce his presence to the world. Looking over after a moment, he saw Mickey looking down at the child. He looked uncertain but he wasn't disgusted or uncomfortable and Ian took that as a good sign.

  "How are the twins?" she asked hours later as they were preparing to leave, smiling fondly at him.

  "Good. They knew how to use their lungs," Ian replied.

  "I'm glad to hear that. You have a rather unusually family Mr Gallagher but it seems to work," she said, motioning to the others that still stood inside the room. Looking back he saw Mickey cautiously holding his new son.

  "Yeah it really does," he said not looked at her but still at his little miss match family.