Copyright 2020-2023: No part of this story may be reproduced in any way without the express written consent of the author. The author grants www.nifty.org permission to post the story on their website.
DISCLAIMER: This story is a work of fiction and fantasy. No part of it is based on true events, and any similarity to any person, living or dead, is coincidental. It contains descriptions of homosexual activities between consenting adults. If you are not over 18 years of age, or if you find this type of story offensive, or viewing this material is illegal where you are, then please DO NOT READ IT! If you choose to read it, then - I hope you enjoy it!
Nifty needs donations to continue doing what we all enjoy. If you can, please consider donating.
When You Least Expect By Josh Blake
Chapter 49
"Hurry up, Josh!" Braden yelled as we merged onto the freeway.
"Calm down!" I said. "We don't want to have a wreck trying to get there. Whatever is happening is happening, so we might as well get there safely."
Braden sat in the passenger seat, trying to call people to let them know what was going on. He had managed to reach his parents, who had Mom and Jackson with them. We told them to stay where they were and to meet up with us later. There was no need to ruin their evening when we didn't even know if the baby was coming yet. After that, he'd gotten through to David and Robert to let them know what was going on. While he encouraged them not to, they were planning to meet us at the hospital. I was thankful that we'd have someone there with us. We'd made contact with Austin and Lucas as well, and both of them said they'd be there as soon as they could.
We made it to the hospital and found our way inside. We were looking for the labor and delivery wing when we heard a familiar voice.
"Josh? Braden? What in the world are you two doing here?" Braden and I turned to see who was calling out to us. It was Tammy, our old neighbor!
"Tammy!" Braden and I both said at the same time.
"What are you doing here?" I asked as she came up and hugged us both at the same time.
"I work here now! I've been here a couple weeks. I was going to try to catch up with you boys, but I've been so busy with finding a place to live and getting settled in that I haven't had time to do anything. What's going on? Who's sick?"
Braden and I explained the situation with Savanna as quickly as possible. We were lucky that Tammy knew us and was able to fit all the pieces together quickly.
"Well, come on, dads," Tammy said. "I'll get you up there and make sure everything is okay! My shift is over, so I'm free to make sure they take good care of you!"
Tammy took each of us by an arm and led us to an elevator. We arrived at the NICU and got off the elevator, where we were greeted by a friendly nurse at the reception desk. She obviously knew Tammy and didn't hesitate to get us to the waiting area, where she said a doctor would come to talk with us soon.
"I'm sure glad we ran into you," Braden said.
"So am I," Tammy said. "It helps that I'm the new head nurse for the women's services department." Tammy flashed her badge at us and smiled.
"Good for you!" I said. "They couldn't have picked a better person for it!"
We sat and talked for a few minutes while we waited on the doctor. Tammy filled us in on the happenings in our old neighborhood, which ended up not being very much to discuss. Our nosy old neighbor Margie had died, and a young couple moved into her house. The single man who had bought our house had sold it and moved to the beach. A family had moved in, leaving Tammy as the only single person on the block. She had decided to move on at that point.
"Well, it's good to hear that young families are moving in," I said.
"Excuse me, are you Josh and Braden?" an older gentleman asked from the doorway to the waiting room.
"Yes, I'm Josh," I said, standing up and shaking the doctor's hand. Braden introduced himself and did the same.
"I'm Dr. McGinnis. I've been taking care of Savanna since she arrived. Oh, hello, Tammy," the doctor said. "I didn't see you there." I noticed a twinkle in his eye when he spoke to Tammy.
"Hello, Doctor. Yes, Josh and Braden are old friends of mine. I saw them coming in and made sure they got to the right place."
"Thank you for that, Tammy." He smiled at her and winked. I saw that Tammy was blushing slightly. While I wanted to read more into their friendship and their flirtatious actions, we needed to know about Savanna.
"Doctor?" I asked. "About Savanna?"
"Ah, yes, she's stable at the moment. I'm afraid she is in labor, however, and I do think we need to take the baby. Savanna's birth canal is quite narrow, and I don't believe she'll successfully give birth the natural way."
"Isn't it too early?" Braden asked.
"It is early, yes," Dr. McGinnis said. "But she is almost seven months. There are risks involved, yes, but modern medicine has done wonders for premature births. Even twenty years ago, there would have been far greater risks than what we see now. Savanna's case is fairly straightforward. We'll perform a C-section, and your daughter will spend some time here in the NICU before you can take her home. Most likely, she'll be here about four weeks."
"Did you say daughter?" Braden asked. "It's a girl?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I assumed you knew," Dr. McGinnis said.
"No, we were waiting until the birth to find out," I said. "But it's okay, now we know."
"I do apologize," he said. "I'm not as used to talking with adoptive parents such as yourselves. Normally I'm speaking directly to the birth parents, and they either already know or make it clear they don't want to know until the birth."
"When will she go into surgery?" Braden asked.
"We are prepping her for the operation now," the doctor said. "Your little girl should be here within the hour, barring any complications."
Just then, David and Robert came rushing into the waiting area. We brought them up to speed and asked them to call our parents while Braden and I went to put on the proper attire to go into the operation with Savanna. Since she had consented to us being there, the doctor said there was no problem with us being there for the operation and delivery of our daughter.
Braden and I had scrubbed in and donned gowns, gloves, masks, and hairnets to go into the operating room. We both spoke to Savanna and told her she was doing fine just as the drugs kicked in and made her loopy. Dr. McGinnis came in and started the procedure. He made the incision and gained access to her womb.
"Uh oh," Dr. McGinnis said. Braden and I both looked at each other and tried to see what was going on.
"We got twins!" the doctor said as he pulled the first baby out and handed her to a nurse. The nurse cleaned her up a little before swaddling her and bringing her to Braden. Her cries were music to our ears! Soon another baby's cry filled the room as the second baby came out.
"This one's a boy!" Dr. McGinnis said. A nurse brought him to me. Braden and I held our babies and just laughed.
"Can you believe this?" I said. "We have twins!"
"I couldn't make this up if I wanted to," Braden said. "I guess we have to redo the nursery!" Nurses came and took the babies to take them to the NICU.
Braden and I made sure Savanna was fine, then took off our gloves, masks, hair nets, and gowns and prepared to go make the announcement to those in the waiting room.
We arrived back in the waiting room to find Mark, Bonnie, Mom, Jackson, David, and Robert all sitting there. We were also a bit surprised to see Tammy still there.
"So, don't keep us waiting!" Bonnie said. "Is my grandchild here?"
"Yes, I said. She's here. It's a girl!"
There was a great deal of excitement in the room as everyone hugged each other and hugged Braden and me in congratulations.
"It's also a boy," Braden said. Everyone stopped where they were and looked at us with confused expressions.
"Savanna had twins," Braden explained. "A girl and a boy!" That caused the raucous excitement to erupt once again.
"Do they have names?" Mom asked.
"As a matter of fact, yes, they do. I guess it's a good thing that we planned for either scenario and had names picked out for a boy and a girl!"
"Our little girl is Charlotte Patricia," I said.
"Oh, I love it!" Mom said, grabbing me in a hug. She was obviously excited about the baby's middle name being her first name.
"And the boy is John Luke," Braden said.
"When can we see them?" Mark asked.
"They are going to be in the NICU for a little while, but you'll get a chance to see them soon," I explained. About that time, Austin and Lucas showed up. We filled them in on everything that had taken place and how we were the proud dads of twins. When Lucas found out that one of the twins shared his name, he teared up and grabbed both Braden and me in a hug.
"We hope he's half as strong as you've been all your life," I said. "I know you'll be a great big brother/uncle to him and Charlotte, just like you've both been to Jack!"
We sent Mark and Bonnie home with Mom and Jack. David and Robert decided to head home as well, promising that they would check in on us the next day. Austin and Lucas hung around a little while longer. Finally, Dr. McGinnis came back out to see us.
"Wow, that was some surprise, right fellas?"
"Have you seen that before, doctor?" I asked. "Savanna never had any clue she was having twins."
"Oh, yes," he said. "I'll admit it's not common, but occasionally a twin can hide behind the larger of the two twins. In this case, the female twin was the larger of the two. She was hiding her brother from view. But the good news is that both babies appear to be perfectly healthy even though they are on the small side."
"What about Savanna?" Braden asked. "Is she still okay?"
"She's fine," Dr. McGinnis said. "She wants to see both of you. I'll take you to her room, but don't stay long. She needs to rest."
Braden and I walked down the hall, following Dr. McGinnis to the room where Savanna was resting. When we went in, I could tell she had been crying. My heart skipped a beat, and I grabbed Braden's hand. What if she had decided she wanted to keep her babies? Braden squeezed my hand. I'm sure he was thinking the same thing.
"Relax, you two," Savanna said. "I'm not having second thoughts." It was as if she could read our minds. "But how about my babies? Aren't they precious?"
"They are," I said. "You really had no idea you were having twins?"
"No, not a clue," she said. "But twins do run in my family. My grandmother was a twin, and so was her grandmother. At least, that's what my Grammy always said."
"Well, Charlotte will need to remember to warn her future granddaughter of that," Braden said.
"Charlotte. I love that name!" Savanna said. "How did you know it was my Grammy's name?"
Braden and I exchanged bewildered looks.
"We didn't," I said. "But I suppose maybe your Grammy had a way of making sure she's remembered! Her full name is Charlotte Patricia. Patricia is after my mom."
"What about the little boy? What's his name?"
"John Luke," Braden said. Savanna started to cry. She wiped her eyes and looked back at us.
"Grammy Charlotte's husband, my Grampy, was named John. They were such good people and I loved them so much." Tears ran down her cheeks. Braden and I took her hands. "It's almost like they're telling me I made the right decision."
"Savanna, you know you can be in their lives as much as you want to be. We have no problem with them knowing you are their mother. As much as Braden and I will do all we can to be great parents, you can't replace a mother's love," I said.
"I know, and I want to be in their lives. I'm glad they have your sweet mom with them every day, too. They are going to be so loved," Savanna said.
We stayed with her for a few more minutes before leaving her to rest. Per Savanna's wishes, we would be returning the next day with our attorney to take care of the adoption paperwork to send to the judge.
That's it for this chapter of "When You Least Expect." The next chapter will be published as soon as possible.
The next few weeks were a complete blur. We spent as much time at the hospital with the babies as we could. Since Braden and I still had to work and wanted to use our leave time when we actually took them home, other family members pitched in to make sure someone was there almost all the time.
After a few days, we were allowed to start holding them. That was the most exciting part. Everyone wanted to visit them and hold them. David and Robert started referring to themselves as the twins' grandpas and visited them almost every day. It was so sweet watching them holding and rocking the babies. They had been a huge part of Jackson's life since he was born, but it was nice to see them both holding a baby at the same time.
"You really like that, don't you, Gramps?" I asked David one day while he was holding Charlotte. I had John Luke in my arms. Robert had gone to get some coffee.
"There's nothing better than holding a baby," David said. I knew that David's relationships with his children had been strained since he came out to them. His grandson, who was also gay, had a great relationship with David and Robert, but he missed seeing his children. I could see a small tear form in his eye as he rocked Charlotte.
"They'll come around one day," I said, knowing what he was thinking. David gave me a weak smile.
"I don't know. It is what it is. I did my best with them, and I was with their mother until the end. I think I deserve a little happiness in my final years, and Robert gives me that."
"You definitely deserve it," I said.
"You know, Josh, you're like the son I should have had. I'm so proud of the man you are. You're a great dad, you are outstanding in your career, and you're there for everyone. And you're a hell of a lot braver than I ever was."
"I wish you were my dad," I said, feeling a tear form in my own eye.
"I do need your help with something," David said. He got up and handed Charlotte back to the nurse who had just walked into the room. I kissed Charlotte on the forehead and then did the same with John Luke before handing him over as well. David and I walked out into the hallway.
"What is it?" I asked. "You know I'll do anything for you."
"I need you to be the executor of my will," he said. "Since my ungrateful children all think I'm living a life of sin, I don't have anyone else I'd trust with it."
"Well, that sure came out of left field," I said, surprised. "What about your grandson, Ryan?" I asked.
"I know, Josh, but it's important. And I'm leaving everything to him. But I need someone with a good head on his shoulders to make sure everything is carried out the right way."
"You know I'll do the best I can, David. But you're going to be around a long time." David gave me a weak smile.
"There's more," David said. "I want to marry Robert. Nothing fancy or anything. Just a nice little ceremony by the lake. It'll just be Robert and me, you, Braden, and Ryan. And your lovely mother, if she'll come. And of course, Jackson. Can you help me get something together?"
"Of course, David. But I have to be honest. You're freaking me out a little. Why all of this right now?"
David sighed. "I guess I have to tell you. Alzheimer's Disease runs in my family. Both of my parents had it. My grandparents had it. Now it's my turn."
"But you seem fine, David," I said. "Sure, you aren't a young man anymore, but Alzheimer's? Have you been diagnosed?"
"I'm 78 now, Josh. I watched both of my parents go through this. My dad was 75 when his started. My mom was 80. I know the signs. It starts off with forgetting little things. A birthday, an anniversary. Then you're forgetting where you put things all the time. Last week, I got lost driving to the grocery store. I had to call Robert to come find me. I handed him my car keys that day. The thought of getting lost again, or worse..." David trailed off. "I figure I've got a few good years left, if I'm lucky. But it's going to start getting worse. God willing, I'll fall over with a heart attack before it gets really bad. My dad did. But Mom had to go to a nursing home. She was 96 when she died, but she was really gone about five years before that. I don't want that. But what we want and what we get are two different things."
"Oh, David," I said. "I just don't know what to say." I was really feeling sorrow for David and Robert, but for me as well. I had grown to love David like a father. The thought of having to see him suffer was killing me! I guess David could see the look on my face.
"Relax, Josh. It's gonna be fine. Really. Look at it like this. When my mom was diagnosed, the doctor sat us down and told us how it was going to go. She was in the early stages, just like I'm in now. She'd forget to turn off the stove or go to bed and leave dishes in the sink. She never did that, ever. So, the doctor told us that for us, it would be hard. But for Mom, she didn't realize what was going on after a while. Some days it was like she was a little girl again. Even if she got upset, she'd forget why and she'd be over it pretty quick."
David continued, despite my look of anguish. "I also need you to take on power of attorney for me. That just lets you make decisions that you might need to make on my behalf when I can't do it for myself. I don't want to put it off on Ryan, and Robert is too old to have to worry with it, too. I know this is asking a lot, Josh, but I need to set all this in motion while I'm still in my right mind. If I wait, it will be too late."
"You know I'll do it," I said. "Braden and I are here for you all the way." David and I hugged.
--
A few days later, we got to bring John Luke and Charlotte home! We thought it was bad when Jackson was a baby, but we had no idea how much of a challenge raising two babies would be! Despite the normal challenges that come with taking care of babies, John Luke and Charlotte were very well behaved. They both went to sleep at the right time and woke up at the right time. They liked being fed and then going back to sleep afterward.
Jackson was a great big brother. He was super excited about having not just one but two younger siblings. He had taken to calling them his babies. As soon as he came in from school each day he ran upstairs, changed his clothes, then came back down to help give them their bottles. It was so sweet to watch him take care of them. The only thing he refused to do was change a diaper!
It seemed like there was always someone at our house. Jesse had started working for us, and he was a great help. While we had hired him to do mostly housework, it wasn't uncommon to see him holding one or both of the babies or giving them a bottle! Bonnie was spending so much time at the house that she had practically moved in. We definitely weren't complaining since Mom was having a hard time taking care of two babies during the day. I pitched the idea of hiring a nanny, but Mom and Bonnie quickly shot that idea down.
"If anyone is going to take care of my grandbabies, it's going to be me!" Bonnie said.
Austin and Lucas had been around a lot as well. Lucas was finishing up with school and was applying for jobs. With his degree in broadcast meteorology, he hoped to land a job somewhere in the Southeastern United States so he would at least be within driving distance to us. Since he had finished school, Austin was spending most of his time in Chattanooga running the bed and breakfast and its attached restaurant.
One Saturday morning, we had just finished breakfast and were in the process of cleaning up when the doorbell rang. I went to answer it and got quite a shock when I opened the door to find Dorothy and Rose standing there!
"What on Earth?" I exclaimed.
"Are you going to invite us in, or do we have to stand out here and have a heat stroke in the sun?" Dorothy asked, grabbing my face and kissing me on the cheek.
"Come in!" I said. I hugged Rose as she came in behind Dorothy. I hadn't noticed Asher standing off to the side, but he grinned when he saw me. I ruffled his hair as he came in through the door.
"Josh, who..." Mom started to exclaim from the top of the stairs. "Dorothy? Rose? What in God's name are you two doing all the way down here?" Asher and I helped Dorothy and Rose up the stairs into the living room. "We just finished breakfast. Can I get you something?" Mom asked.
"Some coffee would be nice," Dorothy said, "But nothing else. We came to see those babies!"
"Austin has been showing us pictures on his phone, but that's just not good enough," Rose said. "And I know it's just too far to drive them up to see us right now."
Jack ran into the room and was excited to see his Aunt Dorothy and Aunt Rose. He hugged them both tightly.
"Have you saw my babies?" he asked. "John Luke and Charlotte are their names. They're mine. I help take care of them." The way he said Charlotte' came out sounding like shart.' That made us all laugh.
"We're still learning how to say Charlotte," Braden said. He came in with both babies in his arms. Rose took Charlotte and Dorothy took John Luke.
"Aren't they just the sweetest?" Rose said. Dorothy agreed with her.
"Don't get me wrong because I'm thrilled that you're both here," I said, "But how did you manage to get here?"
"Rose's Buick did just fine!" Dorothy said. "It's the first time it's been out of Chattanooga in quite a while, but we got here!"
"I'm still a pretty good driver, too," Rose said.
"I counted 32 times that someone blew their horn at us between there and here," Asher said.
"How would you know?" Rose asked. "You had those sticks in your ear the whole time."
"Kids these days," Dorothy said. "They always have to be listening to something. Always got those things sticking in their ears."
"But he's a good boy," Rose said. "He made the A-B Honor Roll at his school!" Asher blushed a little.
"Yeah, we like having him around," Dorothy said. "Did you know he has a boyfriend?"
"Dorothy!" Asher exclaimed. "We're just friends!"
"Friends don't usually kiss each other and rub each other's bottoms on the couch," Dorothy said.
"What's his name, Asher?" Braden asked. Asher, who was now blushing severely, replied "Brax."
"So, are you boyfriends?" I asked.
"I don't know," Asher said. "We like each other and he's sooo cute. And his parents know he's gay and they don't care. He just moved in from California, so we don't know each other that good yet. But I do like him a lot."
"Josh, I thought maybe you and Asher could have a little talk in private about Brax," Dorothy said. I looked at her and cocked my head. Without speaking, she mouthed "the talk" and "please." Then I got it. Dorothy and Rose wanted someone to talk to Asher about safe sex, but they didn't want to be the ones to do it. Not a problem, I thought.
"Come on Asher, let's go out on the patio and let the ladies keep loving on these babies," I said. "Braden, care to join us?"
"Me too, Daddy," Jackson said, jumping up to follow us outside.
"Actually, I need you to stay here and watch your babies," I said. "They'll need a bottle soon and no one gives them a bottle as good as you do." Jackson bought this and stayed inside with the twins.
"Do you want something to drink?" I asked Asher, opening the mini fridge we kept outside to hand him a soda. Braden took a seat, and Asher and I did the same.
"So, Asher, what have you and Brax done other than kiss and rub each other's butts?" I asked.
"Ummm," Asher said, blushing, "that's all."
"How much do you know about gay sex, Asher? I know you have probably looked at porn before, so you know how it works, right?"
"Yes sir," Asher said, looking at his feet.
"So, what do you know? It's okay. Don't be embarrassed."
"I...ummm...I know that you can put your dick up a guy's butt," Asher said slowly. His embarrassment was waning but was not totally gone.
"That's good. What else?"
"I can put a guy's dick in my butt. Or in my mouth. And I can put my dick in his mouth."
"Well, those are the basics of gay sex," I said. "As you get older, you're going to want to try a lot of things. I could sit here and tell you not to have sex until you are grown. Don't get me wrong, that's the best thing to do. But I know you won't abstain any more than Braden or I did when we were young. You are still pretty young for it, but the important thing is to be safe."
For the next half hour or so, Braden and I educated Asher on the art of gay sex. He admitted to us that he was mostly interested in being a bottom and in giving head, but that he would like to try everything. We discussed how to prepare for sex and what to do so it won't hurt as bad the first time. We discussed condoms and their importance, insisting that he use them if and when he allowed someone to fuck him. We made sure he understood that he would not be judged for anything he did.
"I'm going to tell Dorothy to pick up some condoms and lubricant," I said. "If you need more, tell her and she'll get them."
"I can't ask her for that!" Asher said.
"Yes, you can," I said. "But if you really can't or won't, call me, and I'll handle it." He assured me that he would.
"I wish I could come live with you," Asher said after our talk.
"Me too, buddy," I said. "If we ever get this legal mess straightened out, you can. You know that. But you are in good hands with Dorothy and Rose."
"They are great. But I feel bad. They're too old to have to worry about a teenager," Asher said.
"They love it," I said. "Just keep helping out as much as you can so they don't have to do as much."
Dorothy, Rose, and Asher stayed for lunch but decided to start for home around 2:00. Before they left, I took Dorothy aside and told her about our conversation with Asher and asked her to pick up the items I had requested. I really didn't think he would need condoms that soon, but I wanted him to have them, just in case. She assured me she would get them as soon as they got home.
"What do you know about this Brax kid?" I asked her.
"He comes from a good family, far as I can tell," she said. "They live in a nice house and drive a nice car. They really seem to like Asher, too."
"Keep me posted," I said. "And Dorothy?"
"Yes, Josh, what is it?"
"Are you and Rose still okay taking care of Asher? If it gets to be too much, we will figure something out."
"We're fine," she said. "I think it's keeping us younger, to tell the truth! Now I'll say this. If something changes so he can come live with you, that would be the best thing for him. He needs male role models more than he needs two old lesbians!"
"I'm glad he has you two old lesbians," I said. "And I'm glad I have you, too!" I kissed her on the cheek. She smiled and pinched my cheek the way old ladies often do. We all said our goodbyes and watched as Rose's giant Buick drove slowly away.
The next chapter in this series will be posted as soon as possible.
Your feedback is always appreciated! Send it to whenyouleastexpect2020@gmail.com. Let me know if you want to be added to my mailing list to be informed when new chapters are published.