Conversion Academy Trilogy Prompts

Prompt #3

                Prompt: In the last chapter of BTLPrompts you mentioned Caroline going on maternity leave, I wanna see a convo about it between Leon and Caroline and Leon being a bit scared about it and her comforting him maybe Brennan too

                A.N.- This prompt is referring to Prompt #13 from the BTL book, but I put it in this book because it's a crossover between TOF and BTL

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                The doorbell rang and I hurried to go answer it. Caroline stepped into the house as I pulled the door open and I led her to the kitchen. The two of us sat down across from each other.

                "You needed to talk to me?" I said.

                "Lee, I waited as long as I could, but my husband is going to die from anxiety related stress if I don't take my maternity leave soon," Caroline said, placing a hand on her bloated stomach. "I'm due soon and I'd rather not go into labor at the Academy. It's not so important to me that I want my baby being born there."

                "I know," I said, fidgeting with my dice. "I knew you'd have to leave soon for the baby. I'm surprised you stayed this long."

                "I'm not leaving forever. Just so I'm with my husband when the baby is coming," she said. "Then I just need some time off to care for the baby. I'll be back to the Academy before you know it."

                "But I'll be in charge while you're gone," I said.

                "And you'll do fine. You can call me or come to my house if you need any help. Plus, you know dad would help you in a heartbeat if you asked him. You won't need much help, though. The students love you and you do amazing there," she said.

                I knew I wouldn't go to them for help, though. Caroline would be busy with her baby, and dad would be busy trying to help her. I'd be on my own for a while.

                "Hey." Caroline reached out and placed her hand over mine. "You're going to be fine, Leon. The students respect you. You still need my signature to pass anything, so it's not like you're going to go power crazy like Adam while I'm gone. Just keep doing what you've been doing. It'll be more work until I'm back, but it's work you're familiar with."

                "I'm going to screw up the whole Academy while you're gone," I said, rubbing my eyes. I felt exhausted, but I knew I would hardly get any sleep trying to cover Caroline's half of the work. I honestly had no idea how my dad had juggled all of this work and a family when he was headmaster.

                "No you're not. You're going to take a day off to come meet your nephew when he's born and you can nap with him," she said, smiling a little as she rubbed her stomach. "Then you're going to go back to Constance Academy and show how capable you are. And you are capable, Leon. I just wish you'd be more confident."

                "Brennan is going to kill me if he catches me working late at night," I said.

                "So am I. Only do work that absolutely needs to be done. I'll do the rest when I come back," she said. "You don't have to stress so much, Leon. You're doing the same job you've been doing, just with a little more paperwork now. And if you and Brennan have kids, you'll take time off and it'll be my turn to suffer under the workload. Sound like a fair deal?"

                I gave her a patiently exasperated look. "I think you need the time off more than I would. I'm not the one who has to actually give birth to a baby."

                "It can't be any more painful than trying to get money for new programs from Adam," she said.

                "I'll take the day off to come meet the baby," I said. "I'm sorry, Caroline. I don't mean to worry you. You have so much to think about already. I'll handle the Academy just fine."

                I forced a smile despite my spiking anxiety. I didn't know if I'd be able to do this on my own, but I'd have to do my best so my sister could relax with her husband and their new baby.

                Caroline checked the time. "I have to get home, but I'll stop by again tomorrow so we can go over the paperwork you'll need to do while I'm gone."

                We both got up and I walked her to the door. Caroline pulled me into a hug, her stomach pressing against me. It was still bizarre to me that my brother was a father and now my sister was going to be a mother. My mom had already started asking me if Brennan and I planned to have kids. My mom was definitely too in love with being a grandmother.

                "You're going to do great, Leon," Caroline said sincerely. "Please, don't stress about it so much. It's nothing you haven't done before. It's only for a little while I'm out on maternity leave. I'm just a phone call away if you need help, and dad can come to the Academy if you really start to get stressed. I know you can do this."

                "Thank you, Caroline. I'll see you tomorrow," I said.

                She left the house and I ran a hand through my hair. I went into the kitchen as Brennan rounded the corner in there.

                "Stop looking so stressed," he said, coming over and wrapping his arms around my waist. "You saved that Academy. It's not going to burn down in a flame of riots just because your sister is gone for a little."

                "Bren, I need you to be a supportive husband," I said, putting my arms around him a kissing him. "Can you make me a promise?"

                "I can promise to knock you the fuck out if you're not getting at least seven hours of sleep a night," he offered.

                "You have to promise not to get mad when I stay up late doing work," I said. "If you start knocking me out, my dad will kill you."

                "I risk I'm willing to take if it means you'll sleep," he said. "God, now we're going to have two exhausted Constance kids. You haven't slept in years and that baby is going to cost your sister her sleep." His eyes widened in horror. "We're never having kids. I'd sleep through the crying and you'd be up all night with them."

                "I can work well with little sleep," I said, kissing him again. "But it's getting late. Let's have dinner. I'll do my work and then we can go to bed."

                "That sounds like a plan." He took my hand in his. "Leon, you'll do great working alone at the Academy. You've got me and your family for support. I believe in you and your surprisingly capable sleep deprivation."

                I laughed and we went to go start dinner together. I was still incredibly nervous about running the Academy by myself, but with Brennan here to support me and my family just a call away, maybe everything really would be okay.