Days came and went, Rhys had officially moved into Jack's house. With the assistance of the alpha and Vaughn of course, Yvette had watched- supervised in her words- and they managed to transfer his belongings from one place to the other.
It was after that when they knew they had to tackle another occurrence. Angel. While young, she was old enough not to be glued to a parental figure but with Rhys it was all she seemed to be able to do.
Jack had taken a moment to devise a way to help the situation and slowly Angel had begun to slow down in her clingy nature. Jack and Rhys had helped her transition by giving her time to lay with Rhys every night. They called it their bonding time; she would curl up in Rhys' arms for a good hour, sometimes more and just lay there. It helped to stop her from being connected to his hip during the day.
Though there would be times where she would get over protective of Rhys, even towards Jack. She'd do her usual act of curling up on his lap but whenever Jack would try to touch the omega he'd be met with an angry child glaring profusely at him, small hands smacking his own away. Along with that, Rhys had been increasingly getting more sick. It appeared at random times, though most predominantly when he woke up or smelled something off.
Jack had begun to worry about the omega, scared something was drastically wrong with him. Yet each time he mentioned the doctor Rhys would say he had a regular appointment and he'd go then, swiftly changing the topic afterwards. For the life of him, Jack couldn't understand what was going on. Rhys would get done throwing up only to announce he was hungry, then go and make the most horrendous food combinations he'd ever seen.
Jack tried to ignore the feeling in his gut, allowing the omega to continue normally. He allowed Rhys to hang out with Jenny and her mate, he allowed Rhys to continue at work, to do his everyday things, all while Jack felt like the omega should be in bed resting.
Rhys wouldn't admit to feeling down, even when he had bags under his eyes and his body ached. He trudged through it, pushing off his symptoms as nothing more than being sleep deprived and needing to go to bed earlier.
Jack had suggested waning Angel from being so clingy even more so and Rhys had shot him a hurt look.
That night he had found Rhys and Angel curled up on a pile of blankets and pillows. Angel was facing Rhys, curled in towards him, her tiny hands pressed against the omega's stomach as they slept. It was that which made him call up Rhys' doctor, begrudgingly, and ask for his mates appointment to be pushed forward.
The doctor had been confused but easily relented when asked too.
It took Jack a while to get Rhys to agree to be dragged to the doctor's when the new appointment came around. The omega had whined about being fine, eyes darting from side to side until they landed on Angel. She was watching them, wide eyes looking at Rhys with so much adoration.
"If not for me, for Angel Rhys. What if there's something wrong with you?" Jack had challenged.
Rhys had tapped his foot on the ground, lifting his head. He gulped nervously as Angel stood from the couch and went to him wrapping her arms around his long legs.
"You'll be fine, won't you?" Angel asked.
Rhys nodded his head, shoulders drooping as he caved in. His hands laid on his stomach.
"You have two days before the visit." Jack informed triumphantly.
Rhys nodded his head, kneeling down to pull Angel into his arms. In the back of his mind he knew he shouldn't be worried but he was terrified.
•••
The next day Rhys had woken early and went to Jenny's home only leaving a note for a Jack.
The omega welcomed Rhys into her home with open arms; her bright smile faltered as Rhys gave her a worried frown.
"Oh sweety, come in, come in! What's wrong?" Jenny asked ushering Rhys to sit down upon her sofa.
"Jenny, I'm scared."
"About?" She asked sitting next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.
"I've been sick a lot lately, throwing up, and constantly hungry but not at the same time, my back hurts and I feel like I'm going crazy because Jenny-" his voice cracked as he turned to face her with tears in his eyes.
"-I think I'm pregnant."
Jenny gasped, small hands covering her mouth.
"I knew something smelled different about you!" She cheered, eyes already pink and glassy with tears waiting to be shed. She threw her arms around Rhys, burying her face into his arm.
"I'm so happy for you, Rhys! Have you told Jack?"
At mention of the alpha, Rhys deflated, slumping against the couch.
"No, of course not. I'm not even sure yet, it's just a feeling I have besides being sick recently."
Jenny rubbed at her eyes as she tried to get back to her previous state.
"I see, I'm sure he'd be happy Rhys."
"But he already has Angel-"
"Angel who's mother died, Angel who has taken to you like you're her birth mom, don't you think Jack would want a pup with the person he's mated to?" Jenny said, eyes still red but she managed to get rid of the tears.
Rhys whined trying to disappear into the cushions.
"I don't know, we haven't really talked about it, kids, I mean." Rhys said.
Jenny pursed her lips, her hands caressing her own baby bump.
"He had my doctors appointment pushed forward Jen." Rhys said.
"Then you better tell him before it then."
"That only gives me what? Tonight and tomorrow, Jenny I can't!" Rhys sucked in a sharp breath turning his face away from his friend.
"Come on Rhys, you're stronger than this," she said standing up, she slotted herself between his legs and took his face into her hands.
"Do you need Garrett and I to be there? For support of course."
Rhys shook his head.
"No, no, you can't be there, it has to be private. I- I need it to be private." He said.
Jenny sighed leaning her forehead against his.
"This is your first pregnancy, it can be the riskiest, don't stress yourself out love. Talk to Jack, let your alpha help you. He won't reject it, you. You're his family now and you carry his child. There is no deeper connection than creating a lttile person together." Jenny rubbed their noses together before backing away.
Rhys took a deep breath, slowly looking Jenny in the eyes. Her long hair was thrown up into a sloppy bun and she looked exhausted with dark bags under eyes and a crease on her brow from constantly furrowing them; Rhys suddenly felt guilt stab it's way in him.
"I'm sorry Jenny, you're right. I didn't mean to cause trouble for you."
Jenny waved her hands dismissively.
"It's not a problem Rhys, I just worry about you. Please, talk to Jack, I'm sure he'll be more than accepting. I bet he's even picked up on it already."
"You think?"
"I know."
•••
Jack bolted to the front door the moment he heard the lock click. He swung the door open bundling Rhys up into his arms, peppering the omega with kisses. They hadn't seen each other all day and the alpha hadn't been able to stop himself from frantically worrying about his mate.
"Oh baby, are you okay?" Jack asked taking a step back to arms length to get a good look at Rhys.
The omega nodded his head, a lopsided smile directed at him.
"I'm fine but Jack, I think we need to talk." Rhys had managed to keep from stuttering but the alpha could smell his distress, his nervousness.
Jack said a small "okay" as he pulled Rhys towards their sofa and sat down pulling the omega onto his lap.
"What is it baby, are you okay?"
Each time the alpha said "baby" Rhys flinched, eyes lowering farther and farther.
"I think, I may be p-pregnant."
Jack stared at Rhys, eyes searching the omega for any signs that would mean he was joking. When a sign didn't appear he moved Rhys from his lap. He stood up starting to walk away, hand raised to his face as he pressed his fingertips into his forehead.
"Jack?" Rhys called getting no response. His breath caught in his throat.
"Alpha, please-" Rhys whined.
Jack stopped for a second, his back still facing Rhys before continuing down the hallway.
Rhys blinked rapidly pushing away the tears as he stood up and went after Jack.
Rhys stumbled down the hall, hiccuping as he restrained the emotions that bombarded him.
"Jack please, can we talk, w-what are you doing?" Rhys froze in the doorway to Angel's room.
Jack was crouched down, arms wrapped tightly around his daughter, his shoulders were shaking as were the small hands that were balled up in his jacket.
"Jack? Are you- are you okay?" Rhys asked warily.
Instead of words in return he heard the quiet sounds of two separate sobs followed by, "we're having a pup, did you hear that Angel, you're gonna be a big sister."
Rhys sank to his knees against the door, face split into a wide smile as he let out a watery laugh.
"It's not for certain yet but I'm pretty sure that I am." Rhys said wiping at his eyes.
Jack slowly let go of Angel, pivoting on the pads of his feet to face Rhys. He opened his arms and made a beckoning motion.
Rhys nodded, moving forward and crawled into his arms.
The alpha encompassed Rhys and Angel into his embrace, burying his face between their own.
"I love both of you. All of you." Jack croaked, kissing Angel on the cheek and Rhys briefly on the lips before unwrapping his arms from them and ducked his head down, placing multiple kisses on Rhys' still flat stomach.
"Jack stop," Rhys laughed smiling, gently pushing Jack's face away from his stomach.
Angel got between her father and Rhys, giant blue eyes peered into the omega's.
"Does that mean I can call you mom now?" She asked innocently enough.
Rhys blanched, eyes going wide as he tears instantly trickled down his cheeks.
Jack gave a soft chuckle, moving forward to hug them again.
"Yes baby girl, that means you can call him whatever you want." Jack said.
Rhys nodded dumbly, squeezing Angel the closest to him.
"I'll wear the title proudly, I won't let you down Angel." Rhys said between tears and snot.
That night the trio slept together, curling up on the adult's bed, cocooning Angel in their warmth. She huddled closely to Rhys, whispering small words to her parents.
"Good night daddy-"
"G'night Angel,"
"-Good night mommy."
A small happy whine left Rhys.
"Good night baby."
•••
When the day came for Rhys to go to the doctor's appointment they took Angel with them. She refused to go to Vaughn's, demanding she be allowed to know how the appointment went.
Rhys paced nervously in the waiting lounge, nails bitten down to a shorter length than normal for him.
"Calm down cupcake, it'll be okay." Jack reassured.
"If I'd known you were just pregnant I wouldn't have moved the appointment up."
"Just pregnant? Just pregnant, Jack, Really?" Rhys shot him a glare.
"Don't mind me, apparently I'm the only one worried of my condition which involves the baby." Rhys exasperated.
"Don't stress Rhys, everything will be alright."
"Don't be upset mommy." Angel piped up, instantly deflating the omega as he dropped to his knees hugging her.
"Patient Rhys B. The doctor will now see you." Said a nurse.
Rhys gulped as he stood up. He took small steps towards the room being pushed forward by Jack.
"Hello Rhys, I'm glad to see you're doing well still." The doctor said gesturing for him to sit down.
"Doctor," Rhys began hesitantly.
"I believe I'm pregnant."
The doctor laughed, slapping his knees as he did so.
"Why of course. I had a feeling you were the last time you were here, well your body was also displaying the symptoms commonly known to happen to male omegas as their bodies quickly change to make way for their child." He said.
"Why didn't you think to say anything?" Rhys asked angrily.
"I assumed you both knew. Your alpha there was already getting over protective."
"No Jack's like that normally." Rhys said offhandedly.
Jack snorted pulling Angel to his side as the doctor eyed her.
"And this must be your child from a previous engagement. Hello pup!" The doctor said cheerfully.
Angel sniffed his way then decided to hide behind her father's legs.
"How would you know that without proof?" Jack asked snappy.
"Well I've been Rhys' doctor for a long time and I know for a fact he's never had a child before. Never been pregnant before either. How tantalizing." The doctor said clapping his hands together.
Angel pouted sticking her head out from behind Jack.
"What are you going to do to mommy?" She demanded.
The doctor smiled at her.
"You see young one, I'm going to make sure Rhys' body is healthy and that he'll be able to carry the pup without trouble."
"Carry the pup?" She said.
The doctor hummed thoughtfully pulling out a patient gown and his gloves.
"Now Rhys, please go get changed into this so we can begin."
As the omega went to get changed, the doctor faced Jack and sighed.
"The nursing assistants seem to get lazier with each new trainee, can't give an old man a break, eh?" He laughed lightly before letting out a sigh.
"I hope you both the best and I hope to see good results with this pregnancy." He said lastly before turning away from the alpha.
Jack looked at him confused as Angel's hand tightened her grip on his pants.
"What does that mean daddy?"
"I'm not sure baby doll." Jack said.
Jack and Angel were made to sit outside a curtain while the doctor checked Rhys. It started out with,
"How are you feeling Rhys?"
"Emotionally: scared, physically: alright."
The doctor gave a small hum at that, his pen scratching against the paper. Afterwards he announced he'd be checking Rhys' weight, blood pressure, and urine; perform other exams and order tests, as appropriate; and closely monitor any complications he may have or that he were to develop, and intervene if necessary.
A half an hour passed, finding Jack nervously tapping his foot along the linoleum flooring. Angel was sitting in a chair next to him, her hands clasped in her lap as she swung her legs back and forth.
Behind the curtain a machine beeped.
Jack's breath caught as he heard the doctor sigh. He stood up moving to the curtain to push it aside.
"What? What was that sound for? Is everything okay?" He asked.
Rhys gave him a small look, motioning for him to calm down.
The doctor cleared his throat.
"Well you see, since Rhys here has implants, metal ones, there can be certain complications."
"Like what?" Jack demanded.
The doctor took a deep breath, probably used to giving this speech to the partners of those who had implants.
"Metal-on-metal bearings frequently are used in young patients leading to the concern that disseminated metals such as chromium and cobalt as the main constituents could affect pregnancies. Which is what I was afraid of appearing."
"And the sound?" Jack reiterated.
"The sound simply meant I'm going to need to monitor his blood pressure. Also at different gestational weeks, maternal blood, aspirate of the pseudotumor, and amniotic fluid will need to be analyzed for chromium and cobalt. If the toxicity levels increase I may need to put Rhys on a therapy regiment using chelating agents." The doctor said.
"Rhys, is he serious?" Jack asked looking to his omega.
Rhys nodded his head sadly.
"Yes, he is but I'm sure everything will be fine." Rhys said trying to remain on the bright side.
"I'm sorry Rhys, Jack, but I will do everything to make sure this is the easiest pregnancy for you both and that your child is born healthy."
Jack breathed through his nose, calming himself down.
"Thank you, doctor."
"Of course, it's my job. Now Rhys there are a few things I want to go over with you before I dispatch you to go home."
Rhys nodded, motioning for the doctor to continue as he reached out taking Jack's hand in his own.
"From what I can tell this is your seventh week. I'm going to need you to eat healthy, especially since we need to keep your blood pressure at a constant good rate. Can you do that?"
"Yes of course, you can count on me." Rhys said squeezing Jack's hand.
Rhys was allowed to change back to his normal clothes, the next appointment was set and they were sent on their way.
As they piled into the vehicle to go home, Angel turned to Rhys.
"Is he going to be alright?"
Jack shushed her giving a small nod.
"Rhys will-"
"Not mommy, the baby," she stated.
Jack gave her a soft smile.
"Of course Angel, the baby will be just fine."
•••
In the time after the doctor's visit Rhys began to sleep a lot more than he ever had before, having a hard time focusing on anything when he was awake.
When the alpha woke up one night to the omega sitting up in bed, staring hopelessly at the wall ahead of him, eyes glassy with unshed tears, he stopped having him go to work. It was persistent apparently because it wasn't the last time the alpha found his mate, secluding himself away to worry all by himself. He would allow Jack to pull him in to his lap where he'd be comforted until he stopped mumbling "sorry, I'm sorry Jack, sorry," sorry for what, Jack wasn't sure. He was giving them everything they could have hoped for.
Jack did his best to care for Rhys, the omega, even after being warned, had started neglecting his health. He had forgone eating, only doing so when Jack sat him down, presenting him with a platter of food and hand fed him.
Rhys never seemed into it, only doing the bare minimum of chewing and swallowing, never making eye contact with the alpha.
Jack was at his wits end, he was beyond worried about his mate. Not to mention how much Rhys' condition as of late effected Angel. It wasn't unusual to find her curled up beside him trying to get any of the responses he had use to give her.
It had only been a couple of weeks since his last doctor's visit and Jack couldn't push the next one to be sooner. It wasn't a good idea, he knew it, but he couldn't stop himself as he began an online search using the symptoms Rhys had begun exhibiting.
He knew it was dumb to believe everything he read, knowing it could be a variety of things but only one stood out to him like a beacon of light.
Depression.
It wasn't uncommon, up to 33% of pregnant mother's experienced clinical depression.
Jack was certain that it was that because Rhys had been showing signs such as: no longer enjoying the things he used to enjoy, decreased interest in the world around him, guilt, low energy, poor concentration, and appetite changes. Not to mention that he'd been oversleeping, sleeping more hours than what was necessary even for a pregnant person.
It didn't take much for Jack to figure out what caused it. It was the report from the doctor, that his implants may cause problems for their child.
It was normal for omegas to blame themselves when something happened to their child. And Rhys had barely found out he was carrying only to be told he could be potentially harming it. It was in his nature to protect and nurture and he no longer knew if that was what he was doing.
All Jack knew was that he had to think of a way to reassure his omega that it was okay, that he was doing amazing, and that their pup was healthy.
It was terrifying to think that if he failed, Rhys may stress his body behind it's limits. Jack knew if they lost the baby, Rhys would probably never carry again.
It had happened before in many cases. Most omegas could never bounce back from losing a pup during pregnancy. It threw them into a state resembling an omega drop, constant distress; they could almost never forgive themselves.
Jack never wanted that to happen, not to Rhys.
If they couldn't see the doctor Jack could at least look up safe remedies online and pray that they worked. He would do anything for his family.
There were several therapies that didn't involve medication and were therefore considered generally safe for a developing baby. For those who needed medication, there were low-risk options that could deliver real relief. Jack took a few from the list, thought about them for a bit and finally decided he would try them.
It began with natural mood booster's, Omega-3 essential fatty acids.
Rhys had easily eaten the food, a variety of cooked fished garnished with walnuts and other items to add flavor and boost it's nutritional value. All it took was the Jack rubbing Rhys' stomach and some gentle kisses to his neck before Jack had gotten him to taste it. It was after the first bite that Rhys began to eat by himself. Jack figured he was so hungry he couldn't help it anymore.
When he wasn't feeding him, Jack gave him massages, talking about how their child may look, who it would act like, and most importantly how healthy it would be.
Rhys always seemed to open up a bit more at the mention of the life growing inside of him. Jack kept doing research on how to lift his moods without medications, it felt like nothing was helping, maybe he was just impatient.
Jack woke up one morning, the spot next to him in the bed emoty. At first he had panicked, hurrying out of bed and down the hallway.
Rhys had been in the kitchen sitting on the counter, a baggie of trail mix Jack had prepared for him some time before was half gone in his hands. The alpha sighed in relief.
"Is that good baby?" Jack asked walking towards him, resting his head on his mate's shoulder.
Rhys nodded, "yeah, I was hungry but I didn't feel like cooking."
Jack smiled, pressing a kiss to his neck, overwhelmingly happy.
"I could cook for you, you want that Rhysie?" Jack asked.
The omega went silent for a moment before giving an affirmative chirp.
Jack cooked a simple breakfast of banana walnut pancakes and bacon.
Angel had stumbled out of her room, drowsily rubbing at her eyes.
"Daddy?" Angel asked walking up to his legs looking up at him holding a spatula serving out the food.
"I'm hungry too,"
"Alright baby, I'll give you some too." Jack reached down and ruffled her hair.
Soon the family sat huddled on the couch, watching television while they stuffed their faces with food. Angel dribbled syrup down her chin, giving a huff. Rhys, having seen it gave a small laugh, reaching over with a licked thumb to wipe it away.
Jack's heart tripped up. What a good day.
"After this, do you guys want to go shopping? We could look for things for the baby?" He clinked his silverware on his plate as he looked to them expectantly.
•••
It was a good day. A very good day in fact, according to Jack. Rhys had been keen on getting out of the house and he was more than happy to accompany his mate to get some fresh air.
They chose to go to a close shopping center that had a variety of shops. The first shop they visited ended with Angel buying a few new toys, clothes, and bracelet that centered on a light blue butterfly.
Rhys had smiled, kissed the top of her head and called the bracelet "extremely beautiful" and that he thought it looked cute on her.
Angel had preened under his compliments, puffing out her chest and squaring her shoulders.
"I know." She said confidently, then a beat later added in shyly, "thank you."
They wandered the center for a short while after that. Rhys would make small comments on the stores while offering to his and Angel's conversation.
It was a relief to see Rhys behaving even the slightest bit normal. It gave Jack hope and he knew that as long as he supported him then they'd be okay.
When Rhys plastered his face to the window of a shop titled "bibs for babes" Jack knew they would be carrying many more bags.
Rhys dragged them into the store, immediately overwhelmed by the mass variety of baby clothes for all stages. Rhys looked at Jack, once he received a nod from his alpha he took off. The small basket he'd had was overflowing by the time he made it back to Jack.
"Rhysie, we don't know the gender yet." Jack reminded him.
"Thats why I got clothes for both!" Rhys piped up happily holding up a blue and white striped onesie with a whale on it in one hand and a light yellow onesie decorated with daises and ladybugs in the other.
Jack couldn't deny him when he smiled.
"Fine, we'll get 'em all." Jack waved his hand motioning for Rhys to join him at his side.
The omega smiled walking over to his mate, slotting himself into his side as Jack draped an arm over his shoulders.
Angel looked up at them and smiled before she skipped ahead to the cashier.
Rhys waited patiently as the cashier rung up their items. Occasionally the beta would look to where Jack's arm was wrapped around Rhys then act like she hadn't been trying to see more into their lives.
"Okay, that'll be your total." She said pointing towards the price on the screen.
Jack handed her one of his credit cards.
"Thank you sirs, have a pleasant day." She said smiling as she handed Jack his card back and slid the bags across the counter.
As they exited the store, Rhys turned to Jack.
"Can we get ice cream?" He asked.
"Oh! Please daddy!" Angel chimed in.
Jack looked between the two of them as they puppy eyed him. His resolve crumbled and he caved in.
"Fine, let's go get some." He said.
"What do you feel like buttercup?"
Rhys tapped his index finger against his chin as he thought.
"Mint chocolate chip."
Jack chuckled, nodding as he guided them into the creamery.
"How about you babydoll?" He asked Angel.
Angel threw her hands up in the air giving a small shout of, "chocolate!"
Jack winced at the high pitch but smiled nonetheless.
"Single scoop of chocolate on a waffle cone, double scoop of mint chocolate chip in a bowl, and one scoop french vanilla in a waffle cone." The lady behind the counter took down their order.
When they paid and were handed their ice cream, Jack was bombarded by an armful of pregnant omega.
"Thank you alpha." Rhys purred into his ear, his actions almost causing both him and Jack to drop the ice cream but they somehow managed not too.
Angel giggled at them as she skipped past, moving to a table.
Jack's pupils dilated as the omega kissed his neck before sauntering away after Angel.
Jack followed his movements with a shake of his head.
"What a tease." He whispered.
•••
The rest of the day went by in a blur, shop after shop, they acquired a new handful of bags. It quickly became too much for the alpha to carry alone and not wanting to stress his mate he requested they head home.
Rhys had whined, complaining that he was still okay to walk around more.
Jack smiled at him and assured him that he'd do whatever the omega wanted when they got home. That quickly shut Rhys' mouth as he ushered not only the alpha but Angel as well into the vehicle to head home.
•••
Angel sung under her breath as she played with her new toys that her father had bought her: a new doll and a child sized electric piano.
"Oh that sounds lovely Angel," Rhys cooed kneeling down next to where she sat. Angel paused in her playing to look at Rhys, giving him a giant smile.
"I'm performing for my new doll!" She said. Rhys chuckled pulling Angel to him and kissed the top of her head.
"Well you're doing amazing baby, a real prodigy." He assured.
Angel glowed under his compliment as she went back to pressing keys and humming a sweet melody. As Rhys stood and made his way towards his and Jack's room, a sigh slipped out. Jack was on him in a second, hands comfortingly patting his arms.
"Hey buttercup, are you okay? Want to do something, watch a movie or play games with Angel?" He asked giving an upbeat smile.
Rhys shook his head, casting a glance back at Angel.
"Nothing, I think I'm just going to go to bed."
"Already? That's a little early, even for you." Jack went for playful tone.
The blank look in Rhys' eyes had the alpha frowning.
"Come here baby." Jack said pulling Rhys into his arms.
"What's wrong?" He asked again.
Rhys shook his head against his shoulder.
"Nothing."
Jack tsked, starting to walk them to their room. He closed the door behind them, giving them privacy.
"Rhys," Jack began as the omega tried to squirm his way out of Jack's grasp.
Rhys pushed Jack away, his eyebrows tensed together, and his body rigid.
"Why does there have to be something wrong with me? Can't I do anything without it causing a global epidemic?" Rhys growled.
"Bbay, baby no, I'm sorry. That's not what I meant."
"What did you mean then?" Rhys hissed through clenched teeth.
"I just want to support you."
"The just- just!" Rhys let out a frsutrated cry, crumbling to his knees.
"Rhys?" Jacksaid, worry pinching his features close together. He knlet down, taking Rhys' hands into his own.
"Talk to me, please Rhys. I'm here for you, I'm your mate now, don't leave me out of your loop."
Rhys wilted, a shaky breath on his lips as he leaned onto Jack.
"I'm so scared." He admitted.
A surprised inhale came from Rhys as the omega lifted his head, watery eyes stared into his alpha's. Rhys knew he was the cause of that fear, he had to be, but he was scared too. So very scared of failing his alpha. He was scared he'd lose Jack; their child. The odds were so at war. His doctor had made a side comment about knowing for sure if the child would be healthy at their next visit but Rhys knew better than to get his hopes up. The thought of his next visit sent chills down his spine, though if it went good not only would his child be diagnosed healthy but then he wouldn't have to worry about miscarrying.
"Jack-" Rhys hugged him- "I am too." He said.
"Why have you been so distant?" Jack asked holding Rhys against him, the warmth of the other more calming than he could have ever imagined it being.
"I never meant to become distant, never. It just happened. I started thinking Jack, thinking a lot about the possibilities. That we have the chance of having a child together and making this family bigger! I just want to provide that for you, for Angel. She'd be such a good sister, Jack," Rhys sighed as Jack begun to rub his back.
"I don't want to be unknowingly causing harm to our child in any form. I'd love them no matter what, I already do, but what would others think? Of them, of me?" Rhys' body gave an involuntary shudder.
"I don't want your reputation to dwindle because of me," Rhys said.
"Don't worry about that, not my reputation Rhysie. You're worth so much more than what others think of me and this child, our baby, it's without a doubt just as important. And she, or he, whatever we have, they will be healthy and strong and beautiful, like their mother." Jack pressed his forehead against Rhys'.
Rhys was silent as he sought out more of Jack's comforting touches. He tapped his arm til the alpha brought his hands forward so they could be held and he resituated himself on his lap.
"Please continue," Rhys asked.
"They're gonna be smart Rhysie, so smart. I mean look at us, we're basically geniuses, this kid, they're gonna have it made. We still have to design the nursery, what school should we send them too? The same as Angel, yeah-" Rhys nodded his head against Jack. -"Just imagine it baby, we're going to have the best kid in the world! No one would be able to hold a candle to them. And when the doctor tells us that they're healthy, it's not going to be a surprise because you've been fighting along side through this pregnancy already. Wearing yourself thin worrying baby boy, you don't need to worry any more. I promise everything will be okay, I'll support you through anything."
Jack brushed his lips over Rhys' mating mark, nose pressed to his neck.
The omega's pulse had slowed as they held tight onto each other, his panicked breaths now calmed and slow.
"None of this is your fault Rhys." Jack kissed his temple.
•••
Early in the morning Jack had been called into work to take care of an emergency. Apparently a fire had started in R&D while no one was around and the alarm didn't go off alerting the sprinklers. Jack had cursed when he'd gotten the call, gently waking Rhys to tell him.
The omega had whined, reaching for his alpha so he wouldn't leave.
Jack had bit his lip and forced himself to look away.
“I'll be back soon Rhys, go back to sleep and by the time you wake up I'll already be back home,” Jack said.
Rhys had whined, pulling the blankets over his face as he buried himself into the spot where Jack had previously been.
•••
Angel knocked at her parents door, eyes bleary and drool dried on her chin. When no answer came she tried again.
From inside she could hear the soft intake of breath, a low whine, then a sobering sniffle of- “Angel, is that you?” -before the door opened in front of her.
“Where's daddy?”
Rhys wiped at his nose with the neck of his shirt, eyes puffy from the lack of sleep. After Jack had left he hadn't been able to sleep properly.
“He had to run into work real quick. He'll be back soon baby.” Rhys knelt down opening his arms out to her.
Angel went to him, accepting it as he hugged her and picked her up.
“Do you want to lay with me while we wait?” Rhys asked walking towards the bed already.
Angel nodded, a small yawn slipping out. It was still early, not even a couple of hours had past since Jack left.
They cuddled together on the bed, Rhys curled around Angel as she snuggled into his chest, hands pressed to his sides and stomach. Rhys delicately combed his fingers through her hair, pressing soft kisses to her eyelids and forehead, an old lullaby being hummed softly from the back of his throat.
It was the kind of distraction he needed with Jack not being there. Because even with the reassuring words bouncing back and forth in his mind still, it was the absence of his warm touch that made Rhys remember that sinking feeling that still lurked around the edges. He didn't want to fall to that again, not when Jack had so easily picked up on it and had been clearly upset. He was still scared to ask how his “absence” had effected Angel.
He knew she looked to him for the comfort of a mother she had gone so long without and he would do everything within his power to give that feeling to Angel but he didn't want to be a new source of disappointment. Rhys stopped the gentle hum and stilled his actions.
Angel had fallen asleep, her eyelids flickered back and forth in her slumber.
Rhys took a deep breath, calming himself. He focused on the feel of Angel in his arms, the smell of lavender from her favorite shampoo, the sound of her breathing, the stale taste in his mouth, and the sight of a flickering light coming from the alarm clock on the night stand. Rhys took another steadying breath.
“I'm alright.” He told himself as he closed his eyes letting sleep take him.
•••
After the emergency fire Jack had been needed a lot more frequently at the company. It had gone from once functioning without much say from him to needing his voice every other second. And for Rhys, pregnant and slowly trying to overcome the depression that had worked its way into him, it was hard. He loved it when Jack was home, it made it easier to focus on him, on how happy he made his alpha. Because whenever Jack was around, it was always smiles and laughter, kisses to the forehead and cheeks, and whispers of “I love you”.
But when Jack went to the office Rhys wouldn't have any contact with him until he got home. He'd smell of every employee he had socialized with and every time there was always the smell of at least one unmated omega that set Rhys on edge. He knew there was no competition but it was hard for his instincts to understand that, especially when he was pregnant and his mate wasn't around constantly.
Though once Rhys would mention the smells Jack wouldn't instantly start to sooth the omega. Even while his eyes had bags under them, the whites of them red and heavily veined. Rhys felt bad, he knew better, he shouldn't be so needing.
Jack never let him feel bad for it, he would kiss Rhys’ stomach and tell him that it was all for a good reason.
Rhys could never say anything after that, his mouth would go dry and eyes wide in a comical fashion.
It was with great patience and many late nights laying awake fretting over his pregnant lover that Jack finally made it to the day of their next doctor's appointment. Jack had nearly pulled his hair out, watching as Rhys’ mental state went from good to bad and back again. It was exhausting, he just wanted him to stop worrying.
•••
“-They’re healthy, with a-”
Jack couldn't hear past the sound of his heart pounding in his ears.
They looked to each other, Rhys opened his arms up and the alpha dove into them, hugging his mate.
“You hear that Rhysie? You're doing great, our baby is fine!” Jack kissed Rhys, ignoring the way the doctor gave them an undignified squawk.
“Sirs, please!” The doctor laughed awkwardly, looking to the clipboard in his hands and then to the monitor.
“Would you like to know the gender?”
That got their attention, instantly Jack had turned his head towards the doctor. With a knowing look he said- “it's a boy” -causing the doctor to give a smile.
“Well usually the sire does know even before tests are done.” The doctor sat down on his rolling stool and still started to get out the jelly and sonogram machine.
“I'd still like to check, it's also mandatory.” He gave them a small shrug.
Jack had been right much to Rhys’ delight. He could feel a weight being undone from his shoulders the longer the knowledge that their baby, their son, was healthy sank in.
Jack had a hand gently gripping his shoulder, giving reassuring squeezes every now and again, grounding Rhys.
“Does this mean I don't need to worry about my prosthetics causing ill effects on him- or any in the future.” Rhys added in embarrassedly.
The doctor laughed tapping his own against his clipboard.
“It shouldn't be a problem, the levels that I'm seeing here should be pretty consistent in this and future pregnancies. We just had to be careful this first time since we were unsure of what would happen.”
Rhys let out a deep breath feeling Jack’s grip tighten.
•••
The change in Rhys wasn't instantaneous like Jack would have hoped but it was showing through in little ways.
When Rhys began to smile more often, the soft gleam in his eyes returning to their old full brightness and his laugh that made Jack weak in the knees had him ready to weep from joy. When Rhys began yo be more active, subtly of course, spending more time awake and playing with Angel when she wasn't at school.
When they had told Angel the gender of which her sibling was to be she'd stuck her tongue out.
"I already knew that! I could just tell!" She'd said before going back to doodling a family picture of them. Of course when Rhys had peeked over her shoulder at it he'd swayed in place, proud at her skills, even as she covered it embarrassed, stating that it wasn't finished.
•••
Jack had watched as Rhys slowly became, Rhys, the pieces he'd let fall out of place started to glue back together even if they would slip up every so often. Jack would make sure to help him, never blaming the omega when he'd have a day where he didn't want to move from where he lay curled up in a ball on their bed.
Angel supported Rhys the best she could from what she understood. She never let Rhys not smile when she was around, always happy to help keep her mother figure as happy as possible.
It worked, the three of them trying to find a pattern that helped keep Rhys balanced. Between that and preparing the spare room into a nursery, they had their plates full. Jack refused to hire anyone to help make the room, he didn't want a stranger's smell in the baby's room. Of course Rhys knew that was true but he figured it was more so because Jack wanted to show that he could do it for Rhys.
Rhys chopped it up to being an alpha thing, because Jack loved it when he could provide for him in any way, especially when Rhys would acknowledge it. Of course it worked vice versa as well, but Jack seemed to be doing more of the pleasing of late.
It wasn't long before they'd received a message from Nisha, she'd heard of his pregnancy, no doubt from the alpha himself. She'd gone on about how she'd be the best aunt, how she'd planned another visit down to see them.
Jack was happy about it, even if he hadn't come right out and said it. Rhys could tell in the way he kept shooting small victorious smiles off to the side and towards Angel.
•••
The nursery was a mix of what Both, Jack and Rhys, thought would suit their son. From blues and yellows to the generic sky and clouds. Rhys had shoved at Jack laughing when the alpha had said yellow, because "really Jack, who paints a baby room yellow? Yellow makes them cry more," Rhys had said. They'd settled on a soft lilac and a pretty aqua blue, it had taken them a moment to find the paint with nontoxic fumes that were okay for pregnant people to inhale.
Rhys dipped his paint brush into the pan, blue dribbled down landing in a dot onto the paper they'd set below to keep paint from getting on the floor.
In his mind he had a clear image set on what they wanted. The room was to have the colors of the horizon, when the sun was setting. The colors consisting of blue, orange, purple, and white. Rhys gave Angel the brush in his hand, "be careful," he said.
Angel gave a determined nod as she stroked the paint upon the wall in one long motion.
Behind her, Jack sucked in a quick breath resisting the urge to admonish her. She was a child and was having fun, he knew if she made any mistakes he and Rhys could easily fix it.
They spent an easy half hour painting before Jack felt it, the cold slap of paint against his cheek. He groaned as it slid down his face. Turning on his heels he shot an insinuating looks towards his mate and daughter.
Rhys and Angel looked to each other, eyes alight with mischief.
"Yes, Jack?" Rhys asked tipping to his side to lean towards Angel.
"You two-" He pointed a finger at them- "did this!" He grumbled annoyed.
Angel blinked at him giving a sheepish smile while Rhys' face slowly turned a shade of red as his shoulders shook with contained laughter.
"Rhys," Jack drawled out his name.
"What is it Jack?" Rhys huffed barely stopping a squeak from leaving him.
"This means war," He declared.
The house was soon filled with sounds of squealing and laughter as paint splattered from one end of the room to the next. Angel had run out of the room at one point, leaving a hand print of blue along the white hallway wall.
By the end of their fun, all three had been required to bathe. Their workload had been nearly doubled but it was too much fun for Jack to cause a fuss about it.
•••
Rhys pressed his face into Jack's back, long arms wrapped around him.
"Babe, Jack, wake up," Rhys groaned.
Jack's eyes cracked open, squinting in the dark to locate his illuminated clock on the wall.
"What Rhys? Its three in the morning," he said.
"You need to go to the store."
That was how Jack remembered the entrance to hell appeared. His sleep schedule had lost all regularity and now bent to Rhys' whims.
Of course, he could never complain, not when he was woken up by soft kisses and possessive nips, with Rhys' teeth grazing over his collarbones. Each time Jack woke with considerably darker bags under his eyes Rhys was quick to apologize and leave a kiss under each of them with a promise to try and wake him up less.
Jack wouldn't have any of it. If Rhys wanted something that they didnt have in their home then Jack would make sure he'd get it. After all, Rhys was the one pregnant, doing something Jack himself could never do in his life time, and that in it self was a miracle. Jack would do anything to keep him happy. So if he had to wake up every night at three in the morning to go get Rhys ice cream or beef jerky or something of a different sorts, then he would. While he may not enjoy it, he knew that it would all be worth it in the end.
•••
"Come on Angel, get dressed please," Was the first thing Jack heard as he woke up. He was taking the day off to finish the nursery. They'd painted over their mishaps from the paint fight last time and now only had to do the clouds and blend them in with the colors.
"No!"
Jack groaned as he heard his daughter yell and stomp her foot. She had to go to school, but knowing her she probably wanted to stay home to help.
"Angel don't be so loud sweety, we don't want to wake your father yet," Rhys said.
Jack shook his head as he lifted the blankets from him. He slid out of bed, hair disheveled and clothes rumpled. He scratched idly at his stomach as he made his way down to Angel's room.
"I don't want to go!"
Jack opened Angel's door and stepped inside, silence greeted him back as well as two pairs of round eyes.
"Daddy,"
"Jack,"
"What seems to be the problem?" He asked.
Angel looked down to her feet, purple and white unicorns stared back up at her.
"I want to help you and mommy paint," she said.
Jack sighed as he knelt down to her level, placing a hand on her head.
"Going to school and getting your education would help us so much more and make us so proud of you baby girl," he said.
Angel looked up from her feet.
"Really?"
"Yes, Baby. Will you go to school now?"
Angel nodded her head turning around and grabbing the clothes that had been laid out for her.
Jack stood tall and looked back at Rhys giving him a "that's how you do it" look.
Rhys rolled his eyes, reaching a hand out to grab Jack's in his own. He pulled his mate outside of Angel's room and shut the door behind them.
"I'm sorry if we woke you. I didn't want to disturb you until later so you could catch up on some sleep." Rhys gave him a soft smile.
"It's fine, better to get an early start on things anyways." Jack pulled Rhys to his side, giving him a quick hug before disappearing into the bathroom.
Rhys shook his head as he walked to the kitchen. He felt bad for waking Jack up so early, he could have slept for at least a couple more hours. Rhys rubbed at his wrists as he stopped to stand in front of the fridge. The least he could do was make breakfast for him so that he could have a nice little boost of energy.
As the sound of the shower turning on pierced the house so did the sound of sizzling and the smell of bacon wafted up.
Rhys could hear Angel running around in her room, no doubt still getting ready. A second later a door opened and Angel came padding into the kitchen, clothes on and hair combed.
"Hey sweety, are you all ready?"
Angel gave a nod of her head- "yes mommy," she said lifting her head up smelling the food.
"Are you and daddy going to take me to school today?"
Rhys looked over at her, her eyes wide and expecting.
"Of course Angel, we'll take you."
It wasn't something that happened often, usually Jack had someone at the wave of a hand to do such things but Rhys was happy to indulge her.
When Jack emerged from the shower, towel wrapped around his waist and hair clinging to his face, it made Rhys weak in the knees. He sauntered over to Rhys, hand on hip holding the towel in place, as he leaned forward touching his forehead to the side of Rhys' head.
"It smells good." Jack turned opening the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water.
"I assume we're taking Angel to school?"
Rhys nodded as Angel bounced in her seat at the table.
"Yes! Mommy said you would!" Angel cheered.
Jack shot Rhys a look and the omega shrugged his shoulders.
"We'll take you after we all eat breakfast, okay?" Rhys said turning off the stove.
Angel hummed her approval as the sounds of clinking dishware started.
•••
Angel grabbed Rhys' hand in her own.
"Walk with me to my class! Other kids parents do it!" Angel pulled him.
Rhys looked to Jack helplessly.
"Alright, stop pulling him Angel. We'll walk with you." Jack said getting out of the car and locking it behind them.
The walk to Angel's classroom was short. The doorway was decorated with small vines and flowers that had letters of the alphabet. Inside the class were parents sitting their kids down, kissing them on the foreheads and bidding them farewell for the few short hours they'd be gone. When Rhys and Jack walked in, clambering after an overeager Angel, the teacher looked up from her desk.
"Oh, hello!" She said standing up.
"You must be Angel's parents, I do believe I've only met her father before, is that correct?"
Jack nodded his head, giving his best business smile.
"That's right, though it's been awhile."
The teacher nodded in agreeance.
"So this is-" the teacher stopped giving a look to Jack then Angel.
Jack gave a bitter smile.
"This is Rhys, he and I recently became mates."
"And he's my mommy! And he's gonna have a baby, isn't that right daddy?" Angel looked up at her parents.
Rhys had a light flush on his cheeks as he nodded.
The teacher cleared her throat giving them the best smile she could.
"Congratulations then, I'm glad to see your home life is well. It's nice to have Angel's father bring her in for once," she said, her eyebrows pinched together.
Jack cocked his head to the side.
"Yeah, sorry. I get busy running a multinational company that competes with the highest of the high."
Rhys shrinked back, hand landing on Jack's arm.
"Now, now, no need to boast," he said laughing awkwardly.
"It was very nice meeting you but we have to get back home." Rhys leaned down kissing Angel on the top of her head.
"Be good sweety." He grabbed Jack by the wrist and led him out of the room.
The car ride home could only be described as a nightmare from Jack's standpoint. Never in his life had he thought he'd be getting yelled at for standing up to someone for admonishing his parenting skills. Yes, he wasn't the best parent but he did try. Maybe more so now that he had Rhys by his side, but his point stood.
"Jack you can't get all macho alpha, I'm better than you, on Angel's teacher. Just how many times have you met her?" Rhys asked.
Jack clicked his tongue.
"I'm pretty sure I went to the parent-teacher night thing at least once, so there's that." Jack said.
Rhys sighed, mouth forming into a pout.
"A+ parenting Jack, Really," Rhys said.
Jack shrugged his shoulders.
"Gotta give me some credit, I try. It wasn't easy, I was single and running a business. Of course I had to have assistance to help with things like taking her to school and what not. I'm not proud of it, yeah, but it happened."
Rhys shot him a side glance.
"Well don't worry about it. I'm sure between the two us, we can think of a way to change that now."
Jack gnawed on the inside of his cheek. He knew what Rhys was saying was logical, they would always figure out a way but with a baby on the way Jack also knew that they'd have to make sure Angel didn't feel left out in any situation. Jack would show as much love for their son as he would for his daughter.
"Say Rhys, what do you want to name him?" Jack asked out of the blue.
Rhys' voice broke mid sentence as he stopped to stare at Jack.
"I- oh, I'm not sure Jack. I haven't thought much of a name yet," Rhys admitted.
Jack nodded. Of course he hadn't, neither had he of course so Jack couldn't blame him.
"We should start thinking of one soon, make a list and choose from it or something like that." Jack scratched at his chin.
From the side of him, Rhys let out a small warble.
"What if we pick a bad name? What if he grows to hate it when he's older?" Rhys rambled.
Jack's brow creased in a sympathetic way that he had grown used to.
"Rhysie, it'll be fine. Whatever name we pick will be the best and he'll love it."
Rhys let out a short breath, hand grasping Jack's.
"Thank you, you're right."