D&B5

16

"Uh, then I'll go change my clothes first. Please take care of the little one, Dr. Jom. I’ll excuse myself for now," Brick said, not wanting to be scolded by his lover. Dr. Jom nodded in acknowledgment before Brick stood up and glanced at Day. Seeing Day with the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, he realized that Day was pleased that Brick understood what he wanted. Brick quickly grabbed his bag and went to the bathroom.

"Is my wife bothering you, Doctor?" Day asked in a normal tone while looking at Dr. Jom. Dr. Jom hesitated slightly upon hearing this.

"Wife?" Dr. Jom asked back briefly in case he misheard.

"Yes, it’s Brick. We are a same-sex couple," Day informed the other.

"Oh, I’m okay with that. It’s normal for me since I’m gay too," Dr. Jom replied candidly. Day nodded in acknowledgment.

"Did Brick bother you with anything? If he did, I apologize," Day said politely, but Dr. Jom sensed some pressure from him.

"No, not at all. He asked about caring for infants," Dr. Jom responded.

"Yeah, I think Brick is just excited. We are currently having a surrogate for our child," Day explained. Normally, Day wouldn’t go into such detail, but he intended for Dr. Jom to know that Brick had a family. Dr. Jom paused slightly upon hearing this.

"Ah, congratulations," Dr. Jom replied, just as Salmon ran over to Day.

"Uncle Day is here! Where’s Uncle Brick?" Salmon asked.

"Uncle Brick went to change clothes. What about you? Are we going to play some more or head home?" Day asked. Salmon glanced toward Dr. Jom for a moment.

"Let’s go back," Salmon said, as if he didn’t want Brick to talk to Dr. Jom much; it was easy to say that Salmon was protective like Day.

"Then let’s go find Uncle Brick in the bathroom," Day suggested. Salmon ran to the bathroom to get the clothes Brick had. Meanwhile, Dr. Jom didn’t know what else to talk about with Day, who sat quietly, prompting Dr. Jom to excuse himself to go for a swim. Day nodded in agreement. After a while, Brick and Salmon came out. Brick gave Day a dry smile when he saw Day looking at him with a serious expression.

"It wasn't me; he came over by himself," Brick quickly said. Day chuckled lightly.

"Let’s go home," Day said, and then the three of them walked away from the swimming pool area. Dr. Jom looked over just in time, so Brick bowed his head slightly as a courtesy before heading out to the motorcycle.

"Shall we grab something to eat in front of the village? That way, we won’t have to cook," Brick suggested.

"Yeah," Day replied. After all, they were just going to the front of the village, so it was fine. Day rode the motorcycle, with Salmon on the back and Brick following behind. The three of them rode to the market in front of the village, which had plenty of food stalls. Salmon was excited since he hadn’t walked through a market like this in a long time.

The next day

Day and Brick took Salmon to pick up Phim and Frank to go to the hospital for Phim's check-up to see if she was ready for surrogacy. Day had already made an appointment with the doctor.

"What's wrong, Brick?" Day asked when they arrived at the hospital and saw Brick looking pale.

"Huh? I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Brick replied.

"You look pale," Day mentioned, and Phim and Frank turned to look too.

"Uncle Brick’s hands are very cold," Salmon chimed in since he was holding Brick's hand. Day took Brick's other hand, frowning because Brick's hand was indeed cold. Brick gave a dry smile.