D&B5

22

The celebration went on joyfully, with Nick also making an effort to keep the mood light so that the good atmosphere of his friend's special day wouldn't be spoiled. But Brick knew very well what was bothering his friend, so he didn't insist on anything but tried to engage Nick in conversation from time to time. As the night progressed, everyone began to disperse to return home, once again congratulating Day and Brick, and they made plans to gather at their house whenever their baby was born.

"Nick," Brick called to his friend, who was about to get into his car to go home.

"What's up?" Nick responded.

"If you... get bored, you can come over to my place, but make sure to call first, in case I'm not home," Brick said with a smile, trying not to say anything that sounded odd. Nick sensed it and smiled back.

"Sure," Nick replied before getting into his car to head home.

"What's going on?" Day immediately asked Brick as he drove away from Nan's restaurant. Brick raised an eyebrow slightly.

"What do you mean?" Brick replied.

"What's the issue with Nick?" Day continued. Brick fell silent for a moment before exhaling softly.

"You observe things pretty quickly, don't you?" Brick said with a smile when he realized he couldn't hide it from Day. In fact, Brick wasn't trying to hide it at all; he intended to talk to Day about it the next day. But since Day asked, he decided to share it right away.

"Well..." Brick started to explain Nick's concerns because he wanted to understand Day's thoughts on the matter.

"To be honest, I'm confident that Neil doesn't think anything of that woman. They were just talking about work. As long as the other side doesn't cross the line too much, it's completely normal for them to communicate. But I realize that saying this sounds like I'm taking his side, but I really am confident," Day said with a tone of assurance.

"I'm sure Nick knows that Neil doesn't think anything of her either, but sometimes he probably feels a bit insecure and can't help but think about what might go wrong. I'm not saying that Neil is foolish enough to let anyone manipulate him, but people can make mistakes, can't they?" Brick voiced his thoughts. Day went quiet for a bit.

"Do you want me to talk to Neil for you?" Day asked directly.

"If you ask me, I would like you to have a word with him. But I worry that it might look like we're intruding into his family issues too much," Brick expressed his concerns sincerely. He cared for his friend but was hesitant to get too involved because he still wasn't entirely sure about the situation. However, if Neil were indeed planning to betray Nick, Brick wouldn't hesitate to intervene.

"Okay, I understand. I'll try to talk to him and see what's going on," Day replied, having sensed Brick's worry.

"And what about you? Are you not worried that I might secretly talk to someone else?" Day playfully asked Brick to change the subject.

"Come on! You barely talk to anyone. Between talking to me and everything else, it adds up to just about three hours a day," Brick joked back lightheartedly. In reality, even though Day spoke little, Brick liked him just as he was. If Day constantly teased him like Nan did, he'd probably lose his mind. Thinking about this made Brick admire how Mac could tolerate Nan. Hearing this, Day chuckled softly as he reached out to pat Brick's head.

"Don't overthink Nick's issues too much. They can handle their own feelings," Day assured. Brick nodded in agreement, and they continued discussing their unborn child until they reached home and relaxed.

Three months passed.

The embryo transfer went smoothly. Day and Brick took Phim to see the doctor for regular check-ups. Whenever he had free time from work, Brick often invited Day to meet Phim more frequently, buying useful items and cravings for her. Phim started showing some morning sickness symptoms, but it was nothing like when she was pregnant with Salmon. She felt a bit dizzy in the mornings and craved different foods but didn't feel like vomiting much. Many people commented that the child would likely be easy to manage.