𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙱𝚊𝚍 𝙱𝚘𝚢 (𝚋𝚡𝚋)

38.

"Any questions?"

Kai looks up from the table she is staring at. Her nurse had gone through what the procedure entails, going over the physical and emotional aspects of it all. Kai blinks a few times, glancing over at AJ. She shakes her head no. "I think I'm good." She responds.

She feels her phone buzz in her purse, reaching down to grab it. She quickly reads the text of Jaxon saying he was there, sitting in the waiting room. She smiles a little, grateful for the extra support. She sets her phone back down into her purse, handing it over to AJ.

The nurse smiles. "If you have no questions, I'll have you come back here and we'll get you set up, okay?"

Kai smiles and stands up before turning to look at AJ. "I'll see you after."

AJ nods back, standing up to give her a kiss on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you too."

-
AJ joins Jaxon in the waiting room. He walked up to him as he was texting on his phone, his brows furrowed. He takes a seat next to him, leaning over to bump his shoulder. "What's got you frustrated?"

Jaxon looks over at AJ. "Huh? Nothing."

"Liar," AJ says before pointing to Jaxon's phone. "You're texting intently and your brows are furrowed. What's going on?"

Jaxon sighs a little, leaning back in his chair. "Nothing, it's stupid...Last night I asked Shawn if...Having kids now would be crazy and the way he answered was...weird."

"How so?" AJ crosses his arms.

"I don't know. He just replied like it's the worst thing in the world."

"I thought you guys had a plan or whatever? Get married after you graduate and start looking into the adoption process after a few years."

"We do," Jaxon nods. "But...Lately, anytime I bring that up he like...Deflects. And after Kai came to me with this, it just got me thinking of having a family. Obviously not right now, but just in general."

"And he was weird about it?"

"Yeah," Jaxon looks down as his phone buzzes. "Maybe I'm being dramatic."

"If you think something is going on, you should talk to him," AJ says, a comforting smile on his face. "He's been through a lot of family-related issues and...Maybe the topic just makes him nervous. Plus, he's still working through all of that. He just started therapy about all of it."

"You're right," Jaxon takes a breath before looking over at AJ. He reaches down and grabs AJ's hand, squeezing it once. "How are you doing? With everything going on?"

AJ looks down at Jaxon's hand. "Uh...I'm okay I think," He shrugs a little. "I just hope Kai is alright. She's been down in the dumps lately because of all of this. But, this is what she wanted and...What we needed."

"She'll be okay," Jaxon smiles. "Promise."

**
Kai's procedure didn't take very long. AJ and Jaxon were able to be in the recovery room with her, while she waited to be released until she felt well enough.

AJ grabs her hand, kissing her a few obnoxious times. "How are you feeling, K?" He asks.

Kai places a hand on her stomach. "I feel okay...Maybe kind of hungry...And tired. But overall I feel okay."

"Emotionally?" He asks.

"Hm...Not sure yet. I feel...Less stressed that's for sure." She smiles before tilting her head to look at Jaxon. "Hi, my love. Thank you for coming."

Jaxon smiles at her. "Of course, babe. Can I get you anything?"

"Uh, no. My nurse said I should be able to leave in a second. I think I wanna go home and take a long nap." Kai says. "Or..." She looks up at AJ. "We could stop and grab some donuts...And juice."

AJ chuckles at her, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "Sure."

**
Jaxon unlocks the door to his apartment and sees Shawn sitting at the kitchen table next to Gavin. "Hey, I'm back."

"Sup, baby," Shawn says as he turns around to see him. "Come here."

Jaxon walks over to Shawn, feeling his hand grab his waist, and pull him closer. "How is Kai? How was the procedure?"

"It was okay. She said she's just tired right now," Jaxon smiles at Gavin. "Hey, Gav."

"Sup, kid."

Jaxon looks back down at Shawn. "Hey, can I talk to you?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"Uh," Jaxon looks over at Gavin. "I-."

Gavin gets the cue, standing up from the table. "I should probably get gone. I have a shift in thirty minutes. See you guys later."

"Later."

Jaxon watches as Gavin steps out of their apartment, taking his seat. He reaches out and grabs Shawn's hand. "What's up?" Shawn asks.

"All this stuff with Kai is making me think...About our further and stuff."

Shawn grabs his plate, stands up, and walks it to the sink. "Okay? What about it?"

Jaxon's eyes follow him and he shrugs. "Well...I don't know. What do you think?"

"Like...Our wedding?" He asks. "I can't wait for it," He steps forward, grabbing Jaxon by his waist. "Make you Mr.Williams."

"Okay but," Jaxon grabs Shawn's hands, swaying them back and forth. "What about like...Kids? Are you excited for that?"

"I mean sure," Shawn walks away, finding a spot on the couch.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Jaxon asks. "Avoiding the conversation, you never have before."

"What are you talking about? Why are you tryna make something out of nothing?"

"Shawn," Jaxon walks around and sits next to him on the couch. "Why are you doing that? We've talked about kids for years and now it's like you never want to talk about it anymore."

"I never said that."

"But you're doing it...I mean...Seriously, Shawn."

"It fucking scare me, Jaxon."

Jaxon frowns a little as Shawn keeps talking. "Of course, I want to be a fucking parent with you...And I tried convincing myself that it'd be okay 'cause I know how much being a dad means to you but..."

Shawn shakes his head. "I didn't have what you...Or Gav or Kai had. I don't know how to be a parent and...I'd rather die than watch me become another version of my dad."

"Shawn," Jaxon scoots closer to him on the couch. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because...You've talked about being a dad since we first got together and...I didn't want to disappoint you."

Jaxon shakes his head. "No, you're not disappointing me...I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Pressuring you. I didn't even stop and think...I just...I'm sorry."

Shawn reaches down and grabs Jaxon's thigh. "I...I want kids. I just don't know when or...if 'when' will ever come. But...I'm talking with my therapist and I'm trying my best."

"That's all that matters," Jaxon says with a smile. "All that matters is that we're both happy in the end."

**