"Ste? Come home right now. Just come home please." John Paul's voice sounded so urgent that Ste didn't even stop to tell Tony he was leaving, just grabbed his coat and set off for the house he now shared with his husband and their children.
"John Paul? Where are you?" Ste turned the corner and found John Paul sat at the kitchen table, staring at the home phone which was placed on the table in front of him.
"Hey hey. What's wrong? Look at me." Ste turned his face so their eyes met, and noticed the tears swimming in the eyes of his husband.
"The adoption people called. There's a baby, she's two weeks old and they want us to have her." Ste's eyes widened and he pulled himself up along with John Paul.
"We're going to have a baby. We're going to finally be a family." Ste kissed him with all of the passion that was currently surging through his body.
"Let's go and meet our daughter shall we?" John Paul felt giddy, the shock finally setting in and being replaced by pure excitement.
"I'm going to grab the pushchair and you set up the car seat. The baby bag is in the nursery so grab that too." Ste pressed a quick kiss to his lips before heading off to grab the already assembled pushchair. They'd been on the adoption list for almost 8 months, and had been collecting things in preparation for even longer than that.
John Paul secured the car seat into the back of the car before returning into the house to grab the baby bag. Having collected clothes for both girls and boys, he selected pink onesies; booties, mittens, bibs and bottles.
"Come on then old man, let's go meet her." Ste wrapped his arms around his waist before turning his around and staring into his eyes.
"I love you, so much. It's been a rocky road but we've finally got there. We've got Leah, Lucas and Matthew but now were a real family." His words were true, it had been a hard few years. At one point they weren't sure if they would make it.
**
Lucy was nearing the end of the pregnancy and the nursery was all set up. His name was proudly hung up on the door, pale blue wooden letters spelling out the name "Jacob". They were all prepared and the newlyweds would constantly jump whenever the phone rang, excited to meet the newest member of their family.
"I know you might not agree with this, but I really think his middle name should be Daniel. Your dad really did love you and I know he had a funny way of showing it but, yeah." John Paul was ready to hear his husbands reasoning against the name choice, but Ste pulled him closer into his side and laced their fingers together.
"Jacob Daniel McQueen. I love it. And it seem-" They were cut off by a phone ringing on the coffee table in front of them, and Ste leapt up to answer it.
"Okay, yep, okay. We're on our way. See you soon hun, remember you're breathing." By the time Ste had ended the call, John Paul was stood my the door with baby bag and car seat in hand.
"Let's go and meet our son." Ste beamed and opened the door for both of them, already on the phone to Carmel asking her to collect the kids from school.
"What do you mean we can't go inside? It's in the birthing plan that we both get to be in the room." John Paul's face was red with anger, he wanted to be there to see his son come into the world.
"There's been some complications, Lucy lost a lot of blood and the umbilical cord was... Look maybe you want to sit down."
Ste backed himself up until his back hit the wall, shaking his head as he refuses to believe what the doctor was saying.
"But he's ok isn't he? Our baby is ok?" John Paul already had tears streaming down his face, as if he knew the answer already.
"The baby didn't make it, it was wrapped around his neck and he stopped breathing. We did everything we could; it happened so fast, I'm so sorry." John Paul crumbled to the floor with his head in his hands, feeling Ste wrap his arms around him after shuffling across the floor.
Half an hour later, the boys entered the hospital room to find Lucy staring blankly at a piece of paper.
"They look his footprints and handprints for you. I am so so sorry, I really wanted to give you boys a baby, it's all my fault." John Paul pulled her into his chest and picked up the paper with his spare hand, looking closely at the prints.
"He was so tiny." His voice trailed off and Ste took hold of the papers, cradling them to his chest.
"He didn't cry, I knew something had happened because he didn't cry." Lucy had 5 children herself and had taken to surrogacy to give couples a chance of parenting who wouldn't be able to otherwise.
"It's not your fault. It isn't your fault." They huddled together and cried on each other, wishing for something to just take away the pain.
**
"She's so perfect." Ste couldn't believe how far they'd come as he stared down at the baby girl nestled in his husbands arms. After losing Jacob, John Paul shut himself out from Ste and the two were close to calling it quits. But now as they stared down at this new adventure they were about to embark on, everything seemed to fall into place.
"They said we get to name her, do you have any thoughts?"
The baby had been known as 'baby 53' since her arrival only a week ago, and it was down to her new parents to officially name her. They'd been briefed on her story and their hearts had broken as they heard of what she had been through in such a small lifetime.
The baby had been found only a few hours after her birth, soaking wet and wailing. But most importantly, she had been lay next to the corpse of her own mother. It was clear she hadn't been left alone for long, but the young woman had been pronounced dead at the scene. After a post mortem revealed her identify, it was revealed the baby had no living relatives left- her father having died months before with similar injuries to her mother. The police were looking into the case but it was in the babies best interests to be adopted out to a loving family.
"What about Lily?" Ste's eyes shined with tears as he took hold of the baby bundled in a pale pink blanket.
"She likes it." The baby had opened her eyes to look at her surroundings, not making a stir as she blinked at the sight of her new parents.
"I love you. I love you both so much." Their peace and quiet was soon disturbed as three little heads burst into the room and bounded over towards the trio.
"Is that her?" Ste nodded and let Leah sit down before laying the baby in her arms.
"I'm so sorry boys. They just wouldn't settle when I told them where you were." Carmel wiped her brow after entering the room, holding onto her large 8 month pregnant baby bump.
"Don't worry Carm, come and meet Lily." John Paul pulled his sister over towards the baby and watched as Lily grasped onto Leah's finger as if she never wanted to let go. Ste wrapped his arm around his husband and lifted Matthew onto his hip at the same time. They finally felt like a complete family, and an unbreakable one at that.
