The Unexpected

Chapter 25

January 12th, 2026- One Month Later-

Yuri's POV

"Hello?" I answer the phone preoccupied, one hand holding my daughter, the other searching for the pacifier.

"Hey, Yuri!" Allie's voice comes across the line, sounding eager but a bit hesitant, "This isn't a bad time is it? I can call back if you want-"

"No," I laugh, "It's fine, what's up?"

"Well, I just wanted to warn you," She pauses and I can envision her chewing her lip in indecision, "My parents have been talking about coming to visit recently, and I thought I should let you know before they call or something,"

"Yeah, thanks," I say, turning the information over in my head, "Did they mention a timeframe? I'm not sure how much fun we'd be, newborn and all."

"Soon," She says this decisively, and I notice a cautionary hint in her voice, "The whole idea, according to Mom at least," I can hear her roll her eyes over the phone, "Is to, I don't know- help? It sounds crazy to me, you don't need in-laws and lunatic relatives over right now, so you might want to start forming some excuses." I laugh again, endeared by how readily she offers this advice, knowing exactly how to let me out of this without making me sound like a jackass.

"You guys aren't lunatics," I tell her, smiling at the understandable implication, "We'd be glad to have you, I have to talk to Beka about it, but I doubt any formation of excuses will be needed,"

"Are you sure about that?" She asks me, "Between the two of us, Beka is terrible at this type of thing," I laugh, "We can definitely figure something out,"

"Thanks for the offer, but I think we'll pass," I locate the pacifier and gratefully hand it over to Sacha, "From the looks of it I guess we'll be seeing you soon?"

"Yeah, see you soon!" I hang up and set down my phone, aware that any second the area surrounding me will become a puked-upon zone, and walk a bit away. Sure enough, hardly five seconds later, the newly found pacifier, Sacha, and the entirety of myself are covered in baby barf. I groan as I set her down on the changing table, noticing as I do that a good amount of the puke is in my hair.

"I don't appreciate this," I mutter and tie it up, knowing full well that it hasn't been washed in two weeks and that this doesn't make much of a difference. In fact, this has happened so often that I've grown accustomed to it, now desensitized to the presence of an infant's various excretions on my person.

I'm just slipping Sacha into a clean onesie (we bought more as she's dirtying everything we previously had) when my phone buzzes. I glance over to the dresser where it lies, abandoned, and can just make out my husband's name on an incoming text. I finish buttoning up the little outfit and pick my daughter up, walking over to grab my phone as I do. The text reads,

Beka: I just got a strange phone call, did Allie contact you too?

I laugh, she really covers all of her bases.

Yuri: Yeah, something about a surprise visit?

Beka: That sounds ominous- I'll be home in 10, can we discuss it when I get back?

Yuri: Sounds good, see you then

I turn my attention back to my daughter, sagging slightly in relief as her little eyelids have drifted shut. I revolve slowly on the spot, the intensity of the motion carefully calculated to lull her to sleep. In a short time, my mission's accomplished, and, after placing her gently in the crib, I have to seriously fight the impulse to go straight to bed. The only reason I do is because I know my husband will be home with the groceries any minute and we need to talk about, according to Allie at least, the impending doom associated with the visit from their family.

Instead of falling asleep, I go downstairs, baby monitor in hand, and get something to eat. We don't have much, hence the trip to the store Otabek is making, but I find the ingredients for a grilled cheese, which I make and proceed to devour. I'm just finishing as my husband comes through the door, looking as sleep-deprived as I feel, but smiling at me nonetheless as I raise my head from the counter.

"You look like you're dying," He says as he comes over, setting the bags he carries on the kitchen table and giving me a kiss.

"You do too, it's a style," I return, a weary grin accompanying it. "So," I continue, "A visit,"

"Ah, yes," He groans comically, "It was nice of Allie to warn us,"

"It was," I agree, "So..... what do you want to do? Is her suggested excuse necessary?" He shakes his head slightly,

"It's up to you. You do the most, it'll really affect you more right?" I shrug,

"I mean, I guess, but it's both our decision, what do you think?" He looks hesitant to voice an opinion and I know it's because, being the wonderful human being he is, he doesn't want to accidentally force me into anything.

"It might be okay? You know my mom though, she won't leave Sacha alone. And to introduce her to so many new people, especially so young might not be the best idea..." He trails off, looking at me for a sign of confirmation or any lack thereof.

"I don't know," I say slowly, thinking about the potential pros and cons of their staying with us. "It would be kind of nice to have some advice from someone who actually knows what the hell they're doing," He laughs,

"Definitely,"

"And," I continue, "Your family's great, they're such easy house guests and I have a feeling that they won't judge our current state too harshly," I gesture around me, to the room (a mess) myself (even more so), and my husband (pretty similar to me).

"Don't forget," Otabek says, a slightly mischevious glint in his eye, "Free babysitting," I shake my head doubtfully,

"We couldn't do that," I pause slightly, "Could we?" He laughs and I join in, both of us quickly stopping however once we realize that a sleeping baby is directly above us.

"So," My husband starts, "Are we decided?"

"Yeah, I think so," I affirm, "They're staying"