LOVE FOR A CHILD

Okay, I have been working on this fic since December and it is finally officially done. I mean, really, my chapters had to be divided into chapters. This is that epic fic of epicness I’ve been mentioning sporadically over the months. It’s set in 2011/2012, but it takes certain liberties (Maxie and Spinelli were never really together, Jason turned Sonny in during an FBI ambush, various other little stuff, too. Any questions, just ask, kay?) All in all, characters you recognize are not mine, but the new characters are mine. Enjoy!

-PART 1: Chapter 2/3-

November 24, 2011

Morning comes way too soon for the both of them, the obnoxious alarm is almost as annoying as Spinelli’s cell phone had been yesterday morning, and God, was that only yesterday? The two men roll rather lazily out of bed and shower together, which both takes forever and is over way too fast. But they both figure that once the still unnamed baby joins their family that time for such things will be rather limited. After they finish with that, they pack up the car again, and check out before they make a stop at a Dunkin’ Doughnuts and stock up on coffee and far more pastries than they actually require before they make for the store.

Luckily, the store is pretty vacant at such an early hour, and there’s not really anyone to get in the way of their most vital shopping trip. Spinelli has made a list of all the things they need to get before they can go pick up the little girl. A name being at the top of it.

As Jason locates the second item on the list, one of a wide array of car seats, and the debate begins. “We need to think of something.”

Spinelli has his nose buried in a book entitled ‘1001 Baby Names’, and does not seem to register that his lover has addressed him. “When did names for babies get so… strange?” Spinelli inquires, setting the book, as it has thoroughly failed him, aside.

“When celebrities started getting creative?” Jason answers, and it gets a laugh out of Spinelli even as they browse through a rather insanely large collection of car-seats.

“That one.” Spinelli points to one amongst many. “I jackaled the pros and cons of several of these last night.” He explains, and Jason complies, and adds the newborn approved car seat to their purchases. “Does Stone Cold have any suggestions?”

“I’m thinking.” Jason says, and they keep going. The next aisle they wander into is a plethora of blue baby clothes, and they can see toward the end, the colors turn to yellow. Presumably the next aisle over continues that trend. It does, and as expected yellow turns into varying shades of green and white and purple, and then eventually to a startling amount of pink everything. The elder leans against the cart while Spinelli picks this and that out of the 0-3 month section, just enough to tide them over until they can get home and shop properly. As he watches on, he starts randomly calling out girl’s names. “Sarah? Julie? Kaitlyn? Riley? Abby?” He continues, despite the Jackal’s lack of response. “Lauren? Zoe? Leah? Sadie? Rebecca?...”

Spinelli’s head snaps up, signaling that Jason must have said something that caught his attention.

“What?”

“Sadie. That’s my sister’s middle name.” Spinelli tells him. “Would Stone Cold be amenable to using that as a name?”

“I have a tendency to be amenable to anything you want, Spinelli.” Jason replies.

Spinelli stops in front of him as he adds little tiny socks to their growing pile of supplies. “Sadie it is, then.” He says with a grin, and then he gets a look in his eyes that informs Jason that his lover is very clearly up to something, but the elder is kind enough not to inquire further.

Jason smiles back at him, ignoring the purely devious look, and motions for Spinelli to continue on. “Diapers. We’ll need lots and lots of diapers.”

They leave the store at 10:22, with what seems like enough supplies to get them through an apocalypse as opposed to a 15 hour car ride. Jason packs as much as he can of things they won’t immediately need into the back of the SUV while Spinelli makes up a diaper bag. They’ve already decided that they’ll stop every three hours or so, more if necessary for feedings and diaper changes and whatever else is required, and that whoever is not driving will be sitting in back. Spinelli has also enlisted the help of one of the store’s employees in making sure the car seat is installed correctly, even though Jason insists on checking the thing before they finally get going.

And at 10:54, they’re entering the hospital again, walking just as close as they did the day before, this time with a fully stocked diaper bag on Spinelli’s shoulder, and the portable part of the car seat in Jason’s hand.

They can see Ruby waiting for them by the nursery when they’re buzzed into the Family Birthplace again, this time without running into the Sudoku loving security guard and if they walk rather quickly to reach her, well, no one really pays them any mind.

“You made it.” She grins.

“Indeed we did, Sanguine One.” Spinelli responds, bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement

Ruby laughs. “I googled that when I got home last night. Thank you.” She doesn’t take them to the nursery just yet though. Paperwork, boring as it may be, does come first. “You think of a name?”

Jason motions to Spinelli, who has that devious grin on his face again. “We did, in point of fact.” Spinelli says, and when Ruby hands him the paperwork that asks for the baby’s name, he writes it out quickly and confidently. And he hands the paper back to Ruby before Jason can catch what the big secret is.

“Sadie Morgan Spinelli?” She reads. Granted, she doesn’t know Jason’s last name, or why Spinelli is grinning at Jason like a fool, but the name is very cute and she is certainly tired of calling the poor nameless child ‘Baby Girl’. “That’s adorable.”

“Morgan?” Jason looks pointedly at Spinelli, somewhere between amused and honored. “I knew you were up to something.”

“The Jackal? Never.” Spinelli grins.

Ruby is understandably confused. “Not arguing over names now are we?”

They both deny that, and then Jason explains. “Damian, here, has decided to be sneaky and use my last name as Sadie’s middle name, is all.”

Then, Ruby’s grin pretty much rivals Spinelli’s in that if it gets any bigger, faces are going to start simply splitting in two. She bounces up and down a little, again, not unlike Spinelli. “I’m so glad she gets to go home with a good family.” She says. “We were all a little worried when your sister left, but I know you two will take excellent care of Sadie.”

Spinelli looks touched at her words, but his excitement on seeing his niece again is clearly tangible at this point. “The Jackal does not mean to rush these proceedings, but…. Can we see her again, now?”

“As soon as you fill out the discharge paperwork, all three of you will be free to go.” She offers them a couple more sheets of paper and waits patiently as Spinelli flies through all of it. Only a few moments pass before she’s leading them into the nursery again.

Ruby calls one of the nurses inside of the room to bring the baby out, while she sets them up in one of the outside exam rooms. “You got all the stuff you’re gonna need?” She inquires, and Spinelli then launches into a game of 20 questions over whether or not they’ve purchased the appropriate type of formula and anything else he can think of. She explains the feeding schedule Sadie’s been on, which, very helpfully matches up pretty well with their plan, and then the nurse brings the baby girl in and Spinelli finally quiets.

The nurse hands the baby off to Jason before exiting as promptly as she entered, and Jason takes on the task of changing the new addition to his and Spinelli’s quirky family, before he pulls on one of the tiny little pink outfits Spinelli chose, followed by equally pink and equally tiny socks. The ID band has already been removed, so she’s all clear to go. “That everything?” He asks Spinelli, but finds the younger man brandishing the pale purple blanket they both settled on – really, not everything has to be pink, Jason argued, despite the not-so-regrettably pink room that Spinelli used to inhabit – and wraps the infant in it.

“You’re good to go.” Ruby tells them.

Jason passes the baby to Spinelli who takes care to buckle Sadie safely in her car seat, and spends a long moment grinning and smiling at the purple wrapped child. But then he turns back to Ruby. “If, ugh, the need arises, could we call on you with any questions?”

They leave the hospital with a phone number and an order to call anytime they have a question. Spinelli’s is carefully holding the now occupied car seat, and Jason has the diaper bag tossed over his shoulder.

“I’ll drive first.” He says, and helps Spinelli get the seat and its cargo back into place. Spinelli grins at him, and Jason tugs on his shirt so that they’re standing less than an inch apart and presses a quick kiss to his lover’s lips.

“You’re the best, Stone Cold.” The younger grins, and circles around to the other side of the vehicle to sit beside the baby while Jason climbs into the driver’s seat.

Sadie starts to cry a half an hour into the drive, which isn’t all that surprising, but it is a stark difference from the relative silence of the ride. “She okay?” Jason asks, his eyes meeting Spinelli’s in the rear-view mirror for a brief second, but otherwise focuses on the road as Spinelli works at soothing the infant.

Spinelli reaches over the seat to where the bags from the store rest, and comes up with a neon green stuffed octopus. It’s soft and cuddly and attracts Sadie’s attention almost immediately. One tiny hand extends from the confines of the blanket and even tinier fingers curl around several of its tentacles.

“Aww, Stone Cold. She’s so cute.” Spinelli squeaks, and tickles her softly.

The crying tapers off almost as quickly as it started and the sleepy infant is quiet for the majority of the time it takes them to get to their first change over. They stop at another gas station. Jason refuels, and this time Spinelli handles the diaper changing, but this time it’s also feeding time, too. They have instant baby formula – just add warm water, it claims - which Spinelli takes into the gas station’s main area and commandeers the use of the microwave to prepare. He test the temperature on his wrist as Ruby and the internet have both instructed him and quickly returns to Stone Cold and Sadie who are waiting in the warm car.

She squirms half-heartedly in Jason’s hold but settles down once he starts feeding her. Spinelli sits beside him, watching intently, his eyes filled with awe over how well this is all going. “Think she’s had enough?” Jason muses, when she starts protesting against the last bit of formula.

“Seems like it.” Spinelli answers, and accepts eagerly when Jason passes her to him. He walks around in chilly air with her once again wrapped up in her pale purple blanket. He has a rag tossed over his shoulder as he rocks gently and attempts to burp her. But she’s more interested in cuddling against him and away from the cold so it takes a little while. When he does finally get her to burp, which miraculously does not lead to spit up, he bounces idly for a few more moments before returning to the car. She’s asleep when he lays her back down in the car seat. “Shhh…” Spinelli whispers as Jason climbs in beside her, and they’re both as quiet as they can be when they shut the doors.

Sadie sleeps for a good hour and a half, but then wakes rather fussily and even Jason and the neon green octopus do not sooth her. “I think she needs changing.” Jason observes, and Spinelli drives for a few more minutes before he realizes they’re close to the diner they ate at yesterday. “We can stop here and get something to eat ourselves, while we’re at it.” He explains, as he pulls the SUV into the same spot as yesterday.

Jason gets the car seat undone again and grabs the diaper bag and yet again they enter the quaint little diner. It’s just as not-crowded as the previous day, and Jason suspects that maybe business is just always slow. “Table for two,” He says, with his eyes on Sadie. “And the restroom?” He looks up to see Lisa, the waitress from the previous day gaping at him. “Oh. Hi.” He says cheerfully, and ends up just steering Spinelli toward the same table as yesterday.

“Awkward.” Spinelli whispers to him as they sit down across from each other. The younger laughs in good humor before Jason takes baby Sadie into the restroom to change her again.

By the time he returns from that task, Spinelli is sipping an orange soda and there is a large black coffee sitting across from him. “Thought you’d want it.” Spinelli tells him. He sets the car seat, and by default the infant tucked carefully in it, on the table between them and takes a long sip.

Jason nods and smiles. “Thanks.” He looks about ready to say something else, too, but then his phone rings. He grabs it quickly from his pocket, not wanting the sound to set Sadie off. The caller ID reads ‘Carly’. “Yeah?”

“Jase, does Spinelli know your credit card numbers?” Comes the familiar voice of one of his oldest friends.

“He does, actually.” Jason replies, matter-of-factly. “But, if this is about the mass of boxes piled outside of the Penthouse, I already know about them.” He watches Spinelli watch him curiously, before he mouths ‘Carly’, and the younger nods in understanding. “What are you doing snooping around there anyway?”

An incredulous scoff. “Me? Snooping? Jason, that hurts.” Carly protests. “And it just so happens I’ve been looking everywhere for you because Jax took Morgan to Australia to visit Jane. Can you believe that? Australia? And on a school night.”

Jason has to laugh as Carly harrumphs in utter disbelief at her husband’s shenanigans. “That… that is pretty crazy. But also very Jax.” He answers. “And Spinelli and I are somewhere between Tennessee and New York.”

“What?”

Just then Lisa walks up to them again, this time not very interested in Jason at all. “What’ll it be?” She says, just as she did the previous day, only with a bit of forced politeness.

Spinelli fumbles to give their untouched menus back to the waitress and inadvertently knocks over the salt and pepper shakers sitting in the middle of the table. Unlike the cell phone’s brief ring, that does manage to upset Sadie, and the baby lets out a shrill cry even as Spinelli mutters an apology and uprights the items. “Sadie, Sadie, come on.” He says softly, one hand digging through the diaper bag to retrieve the green octopus.

“Is… was that a baby? Jason what’s going on?” Jason can still hear Carly interrogating him but he sets his phone down and aids Spinelli in calming the baby girl.

“You wanna walk her around?” Jason asks, already unbuckling Sadie again.

Spinelli reaches out to take her and slips out the front doors again, already bouncing her lightly in his arms.

“Sorry.” He tells the waitress, who is still just standing there, looking a little bit sheepish, maybe. “Ugh. We’ll just have the same as yesterday. Burgers and fries.” He says, and he’s really more interested by watching Spinelli through the window than ordering. But, the waitress nods and walks away.

“JASON!”

Then he remembers his phone. “What?”

“What’s going on?”

He sighs and runs a hand over his face. “It’s a long story. Can… would you just get the boxes inside, if you feel like it?”

She agrees and they end the call. Spinelli doesn’t return until a moment before their food arrives, and puts Sadie back in her seat, and she’s sound asleep, despite the hustle and bustle inside the diner.

“What did Valkyrie Carly want?” Spinelli inquires, as he eats.

Jason grins. “To know if you’d jackaled my credit card information and gone a little overboard shopping.” The younger looks somewhat insulted by that, but he shrugs. “She’s going to get all of the boxes inside. Probably look through them all, too.”

They don’t stay much longer. They have a long drive still ahead of them, and they’re only about a third of the way through it. Jason is driving again this time, and Sadie is still sound asleep in the backseat with Spinelli.

“Should we get a hotel for the night and go on in the morning, do you think?” Jason asks, when 11 o’clock hits. It’s raining now, and they’re eleven hours in, and they’ve stopped twice more since the diner. Since neither Jason nor Spinelli has had much at all in the way of sleep for the previous two nights, they’re both pretty exhausted. But, they also only have about four more hours to go.

Spinelli thinks it over for a moment, eyes fixed on Baby Sadie, as he has begun calling her, as she stares at the patterns the rain is making against the windows. “Taking shelter for the night would indeed be the safer alternative to driving in this rather inclement weather.” He inevitably agrees, and Jason drives for another five minutes or so until they find some common chain hotel that will hopefully have a crib they can use.

“Stay here.” Jason says, and leaves the car running while he runs into the main office to check in and request a crib while Spinelli stays in the warm, dry car with Sadie. He emerges several moments later, completely soaked from the five second walk to and from the car, but with a room key in hand.

“Did you request a crib?” Spinelli inquires, and really, he probably should have offered Jason the umbrella stowed under the passenger’s seat before he jumped out.

Jason nods, nearly shivering from the cold. “Yeah. We go in through the same door. There’s a hallway, they’ll bring it down to us in a few minutes.”

The younger grabs the umbrella and looks out the window. “It seems to be pouring proverbial cats and dogs, Stone Cold.”

Jason spots the umbrella. “Yeah. I’m already soaked. I’ll get the bags. You take Sadie and get inside, okay?” He decides, as he shuts the car off and pockets the keys.

Spinelli nods in agreement and unhooks the seat. He slings the diaper bag over his shoulder and opens the car door, brandishing the umbrella which springs open promptly. “Alright, Sadie Baby,” He says, and slides out, holding the infant in her seat close. He stops long enough to see Jason moving around to the back of the car before he shuts his own door and swiftly moves toward the main doors, already shaking out and closing the umbrella.

Jason meets him inside a moment later, looking more like a near-drowning victim than ever. “Room 122.” He says, and points toward the hall.

Spinelli grins at that. “122 Harbor View Drive.” He laughs at the coincidence and picks up his pace. His lover looks rather in desperate need of a hot shower.

The room is pretty standard. A bed, TV on a stand with a couple of drawers. Small table, and two chairs. Mediocre bathroom. But it’ll do the trick. Jason holds off on his much desired shower until the crib shows up, which takes fifteen minutes of shivering and just as many minutes of Spinelli’s insistence that he get on with it already.

When they finally get the crib in, and Spinelli lays the soundly sleeping Sadie down to rest, he follows Jason into the bathroom. “Stone Cold?”

Jason turns to him, adjusting the water temperature in the shower which sounds like it has a predictably barely existent water pressure. “Yeah?”

Spinelli nudges him against the wall and presses his lips to his lovers. “Thanks for all this. I… I know it’s a lot to take, but, it is most definitely much appreciated.” No Jackal speak. Jason has learned that that doesn’t happen often. He’s even more surprised when Spinelli takes the time to peel Jason’s totally soaked black t-shirt over his head – since it’s looked like a very tempting-to-remove second skin ever since he saw it – and he nuzzles his nose softly against the elder’s cool neck. “And I love you.”

“Love you, too, Spin.” He echoes and leans down to kiss the other man. But a shrill cry from the next room breaks them apart. Jason laughs. “And we should start getting used to that.”

“Yeah.” Spinelli agrees, and slips out of the room again. He finds Sadie squirming about as much as a three day old baby can, and lifts her out of the crib once more. “What’s wrong, Baby Sadie?” He asks, and as he expects, the only response he gets is more crying. She just got fed not that long ago, so he knows it’s not that. He checks her diaper That’s it. So he sets about changing her again. “That’s better, is it not?” He asks, and the crying has toned down. He realizes that the octopus is nowhere to be found, which probably has very little impact, but he’d still like to think she likes the goofy thing. When he locates it, in the bottom of her diaper bag, she quiets. “Aha.” He declares, with a grin on his face.

“Mrrrr…” Sadie coos, sounding quite contented. The tiny hand that is not clutching the octopus for dear life flails about until Spinelli catches it with one of his own, much larger, ones. She latches on to that, too, her entire hand barely wrapped around one of his fingers.

He can’t help but grin. She did the same thing to Jason in the car a while ago and it took him nearly ten minutes to free himself. “You got me.” He admits, and bounces slightly to appease her. Spinelli stands there just watching her for he doesn’t even know how long. But, the next thing he knows, Jason is stepping out of the bathroom, so it’s undoubtedly been a while.

“You’re really good with her.” Jason grins, as he adjusts his towel to go dig his clothes out of his bag, ruffling Spinelli’s hair as he walks by.

Sadie is asleep in his arms now, but he doesn’t put her back in her crib just yet. “Thanks, Stone Cold.” He smiles, as he watches Jason finish changing. “Could you be kind enough to take her so I can shower, too?”

Jason carefully lifts the bundle from his arms and Spinelli goes about wandering into the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, everyone is asleep. Spinelli wrapped up in Jason’s arms and one of Spinelli hands in constant contact with the rails of the crib. Numerous times they’re woken up by crying, but they handle it as quickly and efficiently as they have been all day.