DIFFERENT

10 -- Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy.

Dear residents of Prince Larry and Laurent Land, 

Prince Larry fainted !! Oh, Bless him !! But I'm sure that Prince Laurent will do his extra very best to help him see that the best is yet to come..... that "Happily Ever After" is within their reach ........... eventually ......... 

While it was not particularly funny that Larry passed out, Laurent still had a smile plastered to his face at Larry's reaction.

"Nurse!"  he yelled down the corridor, as a young woman came running towards him.

"My Larry, he fainted !" he giggled, he couldn't help himself.  "Can you call Dr. Marshall, please." he asked her, as she gently tapped the side of Larry's face to get his attention.

"Does he need attention, is something wrong ?" she asked Laurent, worried it might be more than just a fainting attack

"No, he's OK.  I just told him our news !  He didn't take it too well, as you can see !"  The nurse was busy checking Larry's readings on his monitors, as he started to come to, cursing loudly as he did so.

"Larreee -uh !"  Laurent shouted at him, nodding towards the nurse.  She smiled broadly, now satisfied that Larry was OK. 

"Oh dear" she said, almost as amused as Laurent  "You two will need some time to talk then.  I'll give you guys a few minutes, then I'll call Dr. Marshall.  Good luck " she whispered the last two words into Laurent's ear as she left them alone, closing the door gently behind her.  Larry was now sat on the bed, propped up against the pillows, staring, wide eyed into space, then at Laurent, then back into space again.   And as hard as he tried, and he did, he really did, Laurent couldn't wipe the smile off his face.  

"Well, fuck !!" was all Larry could think of to say for a minute, it was all his mind could comprehend in this particular moment.  Laurent looked like a child who got all his Christmas and Birthday presents rolled into one.  

"I don't get it !" Larry said, a little less agitated now, " for years, for FOREVER, all the doctors told me was that I was infertile, I wouldn't actually bear children !  Fuck, were THEY ever wrong !!"  He slapped his palms down on the bed covers at his sides.  Laurent moved to sit next to him, and as usual, assumed the position to hold Larry's knuckles to his lips.  Their eyes met and they glared at one another for a minute, Larry gently shaking his head "no", Laurent nodding his head "yes".  Larry still wasn't able to properly process what was actually happening, what he had heard actually translated into.   A baby.   A child.  A tiny human being, that he would have to grow, inside him .........  ooh, he felt dizzy again, holding on to Laurent's hand a little tighter for reassurance, comfort, the truth.   A CHILD !   A whole brand new human being !  He wasn't ready for the responsibility of a child ?!  He was barely responsible for himself, let a lone raising a child, and he was almost thirty, for fucks sake !  How was he going to do this ?  Then he remembered, as he looked over at the man-child sat next to him, still giggling slightly, with that stupid grin plastered on his stupid face.  It made Larry laugh out loud, then.  They were both just overgrown children themselves, so of course now it all made perfect sense.  Larry held his arms out to Laurent, and he fell into them as gently as he could, both of them rocking to and fro, letting it all sink in, in silence.  Then an awful thought occurred to Larry, and he pulled back from Laurent, a frown between his brows 

"Morning sickness !  That's what all that shit is, the throwing up, it's morning sickness !  Will it last forever, Lau ?  Will I be throwing up, everyday, until the baby's born ? Fuck !"  he sounded so dejected, defeated at the prospect.  Laurent felt so bad for his love.