How Green Becomes Wood

"I did not do any of the work either, I was just there for moral support," Dark replied, unbuttoning his shirt before picking up Ivy and holding her to his chest, "I was an only-child, which was for the best, and Daizi was the younger sibling, so neither of us are particularly primed for understanding sibling rivalry, but everyone knows it is common to feel displaced when the new one comes around. But I do not think anyone would be nearly as concerned if you were biological." He ran his thumb through Ivy's hair, thinking, "it has been difficult for you both, and sometimes big emotions take people by surprise. I think it is less about feeling jealous of her as a person as much as it is about feeling jealous of her as a concept. Not so much jealous of Ivy but jealous of 'their biological miracle baby,' which, for the record, I do not like thinking of her as." He very intentionally did not look at Xander, "it seems an awful lot of pressure to put onto her."
 
"Fair enough," Xander shrugged. "Maybe that'll come later and we're just late bloomers to the 'feeling displaced' emotions."

"Um, my shoulder is getting a little tired," Alec said, carefully indicating Daizi. "I don't want to wake her up, but I need to move. I can't feel my pinky anymore."

"Maybe you should have mentioned that before he picked her up," Xander pointed out, nodding toward Dark.

Alec hesitated, glancing from Dard to Xander. "You're right. I'll just... stay here."
 
Dark looked down at the baby, who was so soft and warm against his chest, and then at Alec, after some hesitancy, he said, "I can put her back down. I do not want Daizi to be woken either. The real miracle of today is how the staff have not come in to wake her and Ivy already." He looked down at Ivy again, half swaying on instinct. Leaving her in her cot wasn't something he enjoyed, because he hated the thought of her ever feeling insecure or alone, but at the same time, he did want to ease his way into Alec's place and hold his wife and get to spend that time with her. Just like he had when he was trying to figure out how to help Daizi up, he frowned deeply. Nobody had warned him he would have to make these choices.
 
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Xander glanced between Dark and Daizi and huffed. "The kid's asleep. She couldn't care less if she's asleep on the cot, you, Daizi, or Bigfoot. She's not going to feel like she's completely abandoned if you leave her for a few minutes to take care of your wife, who kind of actually needs you more."

"Don't be mean," Alec scolded.

"I'm not. I'm being truthful." Xander shrugged. "He doesn't want her to spend five seconds alone because he doesn't want her to feel what Mini Professor felt, I get it, but Daizi needs him more than she does. And so do you, because I can see you're slowly sinking under her weight."

Alec reddened, but it was true. As much as he was trying to keep Daizi propped up, her weight was slowly pushing him down. He couldn't keep her up much longer.
 
Dark frowned, but kissed the top of Ivy's head and carefully lay her back down. It did occur to him that if the two of them were slowly laying down, then it wouldn't matter if Alec carefully disentangled himself, but he did love to cuddle with Daizi, and it had been a few days, "I actually left her alone a lot today," he pointed out, cautiously slinking into bed so as to not jostle it too much. Then he slowly put his arm around her, giving Alec the space to scurry way while he supported her. Hesitant as he had been, Dark couldn't help but smile as he felt her weight fall against him like it had so many times before. She stirred only slightly before settling back down.
 
"I know," Xander said as Alec carefully edged out from under Daizi and stood, stretching. "Just don't get so caught up in trying to pay for the sins of the father that you neglect your wife." He glanced at his phone briefly. "I'm'a step out. Back in a bit." He headed out the door, closing it very quietly behind himself.

"Don't worry," Alec smiled to Dark. "It's just going to be weird for a while, but we'll figure it out. Probably just in time for a new weird to show up." He came closer and gently pulled the blanket up over Dark and Daizi just as Dark had done to him. "Don't forget to eat."
 
"That is not what I am doing." Dark said, with some actual force, but no anger, behind it. He knew Xander could be caustic and that he tended to hide behind comments like that, but that particular one wasn't funny to him. It was their first day, they were all still learning, and the big 'crisis' was just about if Alec could successfully lay down and free himself without temporarily waking Daizi--in a place where nurses and doctors regularly woke her, anyway. Of course he wanted her to get the sleep she needed, but he also trusted her ability to be able to fall back to sleep after being jostled. After all, they had only been sharing a bed for over a decade.

But he exhaled and released the feelings as Alec adjusted the blanket, "I will not forget, and I will make sure she does not forget either. I promise."
 
Alec paused and looked at Dark seriously. "Don't let us bother you," he urged, keeping his voice low. "I'm serious. You are happy. Giddy, even. Hold onto that. Nevermind what anyone else is doing or says. The rest of us... we can't understand. We're just... worried about you three in our own very awkward and very immature ways." He patted Dark's hand gently and moved away.

The hospital chair did not want to move quietly, but Alec managed to get it close to Ivy's cot without making any loud noises and sat down. He put one hand in the cot with her and rested it lightly on her chest, feeling it rise and fall with each breath. He smiled and rubbed his thumb along her shoulder. She was such a sweet little thing. Well, at least for now she was. He wondered, what would she be like when she got older? It would be nice to see.
 
Dark took a breath, and carefully lay back, bringing Daizi with him. It wasn't the first time he had done something like, or exactly like, that, so it didn't wake her at all. Still sleeping, she shifted and put her arm around him, somewhere in her unconscious mind recognizing the shape of her husband. Dark lay his hand over hers and rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand and told Alec, "Thank you."

Ivy slept more or less peacefully. Occasionally she squirmed or would suddenly take a big gasp of air, but for the most part, her sleep wasn't particularly concerning. With the room quiet and the warmth of his wife against him, Dark, too, began to doze off, although he tried to fight it.
 
Xander eventually returned to the room, moving silently to not wake Dark, Daizi, or Ivy. He stood at Alec's shoulder, watching Ivy sleep for a little while, counting the number of deep breaths she'd take as he watched. He wasn't worried about her, just curious and slightly fascinated. When he noted the grownups start to stir, he moved back to his corner, this time claiming a chair to sit in. He slouched there, messing about on his phone, and giving the others space.

Alec relinquished his chair and stayed near Xander, feeling he should give Ivy more space since he'd been hovering over her the entire time Dark and Daizi slept. He didn't talk much, feeling the quiet of the room did not want to be disrupted. Eventually, nurses came and went. The twins stepped out a couple of times when the baby was being cared for, but they did not go far.

Finally, they suggested to Dark that it was, perhaps, time for them to head home. They understood Dark would likely be coming back to the hospital, but they felt it was time for them to be gone.
 
When Daizi awoke, she turned slightly, and knew all at once she was definitely no longer sleeping on Alec, but she still reached up to touch Dark's face. Then she grinned and snuggled into him for a few moments before stretching up and kissing his cheek. It was a really nice surprise, and it made her feel just a bit more normal. What wasn't a good surprise, though, was when the nurses came in and declared it was time for another 'fundal massage,' which was the most euphemistic descriptor for what was just a nurse pressing on her stomach and squishing it around in only the most painful way they could manage. Did it have benefits? Yes of course. But she hated every moment, and she hated knowing it was not just some one-time thing. Following it, she curled up in bed and nursed her baby, not even really acknowledging the twins leaving the room for it.

When it was time to go, Dark checked the time, and agreed, so he got up, kissed his wife, kissed his baby, and brought the twins to the car, "Let me know the next time you want to visit, okay? You are welcome to come as often as you like. Just let me know, and I will come and get you." He said, as he stood in the doorway with them. Dark had touched the salt, but kept his shoes on, because he wasn't staying, "I love you."
 
"Are you sure it won't get too crowded and we won't be in the way?" Alec asked worriedly as he pulled off his shoes. "I'm not saying we don't want to visit..."

Xander grunted as he pulled off his shoes. "We're saying we want what's best for Mini. If staying away is better for her, we'll do that whether we want to or not."

"We don't want to bring in any germs or be in the way of the nurses or Daizi when they need to do things," Alec agreed with a nod.

They both stood in their socks and watched Dark.
 
"Daizi would want you to visit," He replied almost immediately. Then, after taking a bit more time to think, "and I would like to see you too. You do not need to stay all day, but it would be nice to have you come by. And it would be good for her, too. She is going to live with you, so, it is for the best she gets to know you. If nothing else, I think you need to be there when your aunt comes to visit."
 
"That's a good point about Aunt Ciara," Alec agreed. "Then, we'd be happy to visit! How about for an hour or two every day? After school on school days, and maybe longer on weekends."

"That seems fair to me," Xander agreed.
 
"That sounds perfect." Dark agreed, "if there is ever a day you just do not want to come in, or cannot, just let me know, okay? You can be honest with me. Although you may need to come more often when Daizi's family arrives, or else her aunts will probably flay me. You will be expected to be there for sebou. Trust me, it is not as bad as it sounds, you will basically just be supplied with food the entire time."
 
"I'll come for the food," Xander promised instantly. He hesitated a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly. "This family affair... there's not going to be a lot of hugging and stuff, right? They'll understand I'm in a no-touch zone?"

"I don't mind hugging, so I can do it for us both," Alec offered. Granted, he wasn't thrilled with the idea of hugging a bunch of strangers, but if it meant avoiding offending anyone, he was more than willing to try.
 
"We have told them, and we will repeatedly tell them. Her father probably will not, I have never seen him hug another man. The aunts tend to be fairly affectionate amongst friends and family, and you are family but also strangers, so I expect they will probably refrain. The only one you have to worry about is Amty Zeinab, but she is also the one who is most likely to defend you to others."

Dark shrugged, and then ran his hand through his hair, "but they will all like you more than they like me, so that is a positive for you."
 
"I doubt that, but we'll see," Xander said dryly.

Alec gave Dark a shooing motion. "You should get back. Don't forget to eat and drink lots and lots of water. And give Daizi a hug from us."
 
"You did not cause them to lose thousands of dollars by convincing Daizi to call off her wedding the day of." Dark replied cooly, "but you are right, I should be. But let me or Cooger know if you need anything, alright? Make smart choices."

Then, he left, and went back to the hospital, where, as requested, he hugged Daizi close before settling in for the night.
 
"So. What's the first terrible choice we should make?" Xander asked, stretching.

"How about staying up too late watching a movie and then going to bed?" Alec suggested. "But first, comfy clothes!"

"Right on," Xander agreed.

The pair of them changed into comfortable night clothes and stayed up watching random shows until they grew tired enough to head for bed. It was lonely in the big house all by themselves. It had seemed fun the first time, but now it just felt empty. They didn't sleep well that night. The next morning, they got up, made themselves breakfast, and cleaned the house top to bottom. Xander took Enkidu out for a run, and Alec checked the garden to see if it needed any water. In all, they were just trying to be as responsible as possible while waiting for Dark to return.
 
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