Fate Wins Out

Part 12

Justin was pacing outside the entrance to the hospital when Brian and Stacy pulled up. He was relieved to see them and raced over to help Stacy out of the car.

“Hey, Honey? How are you feeling? Are you alright?” Justin asked as Stacy climbed out awkwardly.

“Justin, relax, I’m fine. Brian took really good care of me. I think you need to calm down a bit. Women give birth everyday.” Stacy teased him, trying to get him to relax. She could tell he had himself worked up and she knew he would only get worse as time went on.

“I am calm, Stacy. Why would you think that I’m not calm? This is what we’ve been waiting for, right? Don’t I look calm?” Justin replied nervously. He was trying to act casual, but he didn’t think he was succeeding if the look on Brian’s face was any indication.

“Justin, she is fine. You need to take a deep breath. You are adorable when you are in a panic, but Stacy needs you to be strong right now. She’s the one that has all the work ahead of her.” Brian smiled, holding back the laughter he felt inside at the way Justin was reacting.

“Okay, alright! I’m sorry. Let’s get you inside. Brian, why don’t you park the car and meet us inside. Maternity is on the fourth floor.” Justin said, taking charge. Brian was right. Stacy was all that mattered right now. As he led his wife into the hospital, neither one of them noticed the woman who was passing them on her way out.

“Stacy? Is that you?” The woman asked, following them back into the hospital.

“Mrs. Conner? Hello. How are you?” Stacy asked, unable to believe she would run into her mother’s friend at a time like this.

“I’m just fine, dear. What are you doing here? Is it time? Is your mother on her way?” She asked, looking at the couple excitedly.

“We aren’t sure. It could be a false alarm. I haven’t called Mother yet. I figured I’d wait to see what the doctor said, first. I don’t want to worry her for nothing. You remember my husband, Justin, right?” Stacy asked, trying to downplay the situation. The three of them agreed not to call anyone until the baby had arrived so Brian could be with them at the hospital without running into the rest of the family. She felt bad about leaving her mother out of the birth, but Brian wouldn’t be there if anyone else was, and after everything that had happened, she really wanted him there.

“Of course. Hello Justin. Well, I’ll let you get upstairs. Good luck, you two. I’ll be praying for you and your little one.” She hugged them both and then walked away without looking back.

“Do you think she will call your mother?” Justin asked once the woman was out of earshot.

“I hope not, but let’s not tell Brian about it. I don’t want him to leave. Besides, why would she call my mother when we don’t know if anything is going to happen? This could be false labor.” Stacy said, heading towards the front desk.

“Stacy? Your water broke. There is no way this is false labor.” Justin pointed out.

“Yes, but Mrs. Conner doesn’t know that.” Stacy explained with a smile on her face.

“Gotcha!” Justin chuckled, hoping that his wife was right.

Justin and Stacy were taken upstairs and brought into one of the birthing rooms. By the time Brian had arrived, Stacy had already changed and was waiting to be examined by her doctor.

“All settled in?” Brian asked as he kissed her cheek.

“Yep! Now all I have to do is wait for this little one to make her appearance.” Stacy said, trying to hide the fear that was starting to hit. All these months she was excited about this moment, but now that it was here, she was petrified. She was glad that she had her two favorite men here with her.

Fifteen hours later, the baby was born. She was welcomed into the world surrounded by the people who loved her most, weighing 7lbs. 3oz. and was 20 inches long. She had a small patch of blond hair and beautiful blue eyes. There was no doubt that she was Justin’s daughter. She looked just like him, even at birth. After she was cleaned up and Stacy was settled, the nurse handed the baby over to her mother and left the family to get to know her.

“My God, she’s beautiful.” Justin said in awe.

“Well, look who her parents are. Was there ever any doubt?” Brian said, as he looked down at the baby in Stacy’s arms. He always heard that new babies were wrinkled and splotchy when they were born, but this was the most precious baby he had ever seen.

“Justin, she’s finally here! I don’t think I have ever been so happy in my life. Thank you for giving me my daughter.” Stacy choked on her words, taking a deep breath before continuing. “And Brian, thank you for being here for both of us.”

“There was nowhere else I’d rather be.” Brian replied, kissing Justin softly.

“Now all we have to do is decide on a name. Stacy, have you given it any more thought since we talked about it last week?” Justin asked as he sat on the bed beside his wife. He couldn’t help staring at his daughter in wonder.

“Actually, I have. I think I have the perfect name. Just hear me out before you say anything, okay?” She asked.

“Okay.” Justin replied, looking at Stacy with curiosity.

“Justin, I love you. You have been a wonderful husband and friend to me for as long as I can remember. Even though our marriage didn’t work out, I will never regret our time together. I am happy that you are my baby’s father. There is no one else I would rather have to help me raise my child. Brian, I love you, too. You have always been so special to me, even when we were kids. I regret our years apart, but I am thrilled to have you back in my life. The fact that you have made Justin as happy as you have is just an added bonus in our relationship. I can see how much you love him and I thank you for helping him find himself. I can’t imagine my life without either one of you in it. Justin, with your approval, I would like to name our daughter Brianna Justine, after my two favorite people.” Stacy said with tears in her eyes.

Brian and Justin looked at each other, then back at Stacy, both of them speechless at her words. Justin seemed to find his voice first.

“I don’t know what to say. I love you too, Stacy. Our life together has been wonderful and I am just sorry that I couldn’t be the husband you deserve. I could never regret what we have had and you will always be one of the most important people in my life right alongside of Brian and our daughter. I think Brianna Justine is a wonderful name.” Justin said, his emotions evident in his voice. He smiled at Stacy as he took his daughter in his arms. “Welcome to the world, Brianna.” He whispered to the little girl.

“I…uh…” Brian couldn’t find the words to express what he was feeling. He had spent the last ten years thinking his family didn’t care about him and living his life without love. Now, he had two wonderful people here, loving him enough to name their child after him. He was so overcome with emotions and couldn’t put his thoughts into words.

“It’s okay, Brian. Come here,” Stacy said as she held out her arms to Brian.

He went to her, holding her tight and trying to find his voice. “I love you, Stacy. Thank you for everything.” He whispered.

“I’d do anything for you, Brian. Remember that.” She replied, knowing that eventually their family would find out that Brian was back and he was going to need her support.

The three of them spent the next hour watching Brianna sleep and talking about their future. Even though the baby was only a couple of hours old, everyone agreed that she would have the best of everything, from preschool to Yale. No one noticed that they weren’t alone until they heard a voice coming from the doorway.

“What is HE doing here?” Joan Kinney’s voiced bellowed.

“Mom, Aunt Joanie! What are you two doing here?” Stacy asked in shock. How did they find out about the baby? She thought to herself.

“We came to see you! Mrs. Conner’s called to see how you were doing. I was shocked to find out that you were here and didn’t even call your own mother. I called Jack and Joanie and here we are. Your father and uncle are parking the car. You didn’t answer the question, dear. What is Brian doing here?” Brook Williams stood in the doorway with a mixture of emotions on her face. She never knew the reason behind Brian’s departure from the family. All her sister had told her was that he had done something so awful that he couldn’t be forgiven. Brook never questioned her, figuring that if her own sister would turn her back on her own son, it had to be bad.

“Brian is here because he in my cousin and I love him.” Stacy explained, looking at her aunt for any kind of reaction.

Brian stood up and faced his mother for the first time in ten years. “Hello, Mother.” His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

“Don’t call me that! I told you before that you are not my son. You have a lot of nerve showing your face here after what you did!” Joanie exclaimed. Her anger was obvious.

“Joanie! How can you say that? Brian didn’t do anything but be honest with you. How could you turn your back on him? How could you push him out of our family because of who he is?” Stacy was seeing a side to her aunt that she never knew existed.

“Stacy, this is none of your concern. This is between Brian and me. You just lay back and rest. It’s been a long day for you.” Joanie said, as she glared at Brian. She couldn’t believe that after ten years he had the audacity to show his face again.

“What do you mean it’s none of my concern? Aunt Joanie, he’s part of our family!” Stacy exclaimed, feeling her blood begin to boil. Luckily, Brianna was in her crib away from the tension.

“Not anymore, he’s not. He made his choice ten years ago and he chose his disgusting lifestyle over his family. He’s dead to us.” Joanie barked.

“He may be dead to you, but I love him and he’s always going to be a part of my life. In fact…” Stacy was about to tell her that Brian was living with her and Justin when Brian intervened.

“Stacy, it’s okay. I’ll just go home. Don’t worry about getting into the middle of this. It isn’t worth it.” Brian said, leaning over to give Stacy a kiss. He didn’t want to put her in the middle of his problems, especially on the happiest day of her life. She and Justin both deserved better than that. As he turned around to leave, he came face to face with his father.

“What the fuck are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay away from my family!” Jack exclaimed. He looked at his son with hatred in his eyes.

“I’m going, Jack.” Brian replied as he headed to the door.

“He’s not going anywhere! I want him here! Brian, please, don’t go.” Stacy begged. She couldn’t believe the way Jack and Joanie were treating their own son.

“Honey, calm down. This is between Jack, Joan, and Brian. You need to stay out of it.” Brook insisted. She was clueless by what was going on, but she didn’t want to see her daughter upset. She just gave birth a few hours earlier and didn’t need any stress right now.

“What the Hell is going on?” Bob Williams asked. He knew that Jack and Joan were estranged from their son, but he never realized the situation was as bad as it seemed now.

“That’s it! I am not going to allow you to stand in here and fight like a bunch of animals. My wife and my daughter have had a busy day and they need their rest. Brian is welcome here, he was invited. You, on the other hand, were not. I suggest you all just calm down before I call security and have you removed.” Justin ordered, unable to keep his mouth shut after watching Brian being treated like a criminal.

“Justin, I appreciate the way you are trying to protect my little girl and yours, but you need to stay out of this. Jack and Joan have very good reason for wanting Brian gone. He walked away from his family and never looked back. He doesn’t belong here.” Bob tried to explain, shocked by the way Justin had talked to them.

“He walked away from his family? How can you say that? He was thrown away. Do you even know what happened?” Justin couldn’t believe the people standing in front of him, claiming to be family.

“Justin, it’s okay, really. We knew this was going to happen. I’ll just go home.” Brian replied quietly. He hated to run out on Stacy and Justin, but he didn’t want to upset them anymore. It was their daughter’s big day and no one should take that away from them.

“Brian,” Justin started, looking at the pain in Brian’s eyes.

“Look, I think we all need to calm down. Justin, maybe Brian should leave for now. I think my daughter needs her rest.” Brook tried to defuse the situation. She was beginning to wonder exactly what it was, that came between Brian and his parents, but she didn’t think it was the time or place to get into anything.

“Your daughter was resting just fine before you all showed up here unannounced. Maybe, you should leave.” Justin said sternly. He wanted Brian here with him, not at home, suffering alone.

“We have every right to be here, Justin. Brian is the one that isn’t welcome.” Jack stated. He couldn’t believe he was being asked to leave.

“That’s it! Everyone out in the hall. Now!” Justin exclaimed, leaving no room for discussion. He walked over to Stacy as everyone headed out the door. “I’m so sorry for all of this Stacy. I’ll take care of it.” He assured her.

“Justin, how can they hate him just because he’s gay? It’s just so unfair.” Stacy cried, as she hugged Justin tight.

“I know, sweetheart. I know. Let me see if I can fix this. I’ll be right back. You just stay here and try to relax.” Justin demanded as he turned and walked out to face the family.

As soon as he got out in the hall, he could feel the tension between the family members and wondered what he was going to say to fix things. He could see Brian standing off by himself and wanted to wrap his arms around the man and protect him from further harm. Instead he addressed them all.

“Alright, everyone. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Stacy just had a baby. A baby who is asleep in that room, I might add, and you come barging in yelling and screaming like a bunch of lunatics. What is the matter with you two? You may not agree with Brian being here, but he was invited. He is welcome here for as long as he wants. You are supposed to be here for Stacy and the baby and no one has even asked how things went. What kind of person would come to a hospital with so little regard for the person they came to see? You are all welcome to come in and meet my daughter, but Brian stays. If you can’t handle that, than maybe you should just leave. The choice is yours.” Justin stood still, waiting for the reaction from the crowd.

“You would let some faggot in to see Stacy before us? What the hell is wrong with you, boy? Do you think that little of your daughter that you would let Brian anywhere near her?” Jack demanded, his rage getting the better of him. He didn’t want to announce to the world that his son was a fairy, but he couldn’t stand by and watch his niece be taken in by someone like Brian.

“How dare you! Brian is not some faggot! He is more of a man than you could ever be. His sexual orientation has nothing to do with this. In fact…” Justin was stopped from saying anything else when he saw Brian approach.

“Justin! Don’t!” Brian knew exactly what Justin was going to do and he wasn’t about to let him out himself just to protect him. It wouldn’t work anyway and Justin needed to talk to his parents first.

“But Brian,” Justin tried again.

“No! I’m going to go say goodbye to Stacy and then head home. It’s not a big deal.” Brian said as he walked back in the room.

“Brian?” Stacy said as soon as she saw him. She could hear what was going on in the hall and wanted to comfort the man.

“I’m alright, Stacy. Let me just go home. It’s easier that way. I never wanted you to be in the middle of this. It’s my battle, not yours.” He said, as he kissed her softly.

“No, it’s our battle. I will not let them tear us apart again. Besides, you have Justin to think about now, too. We will work something out. I love my family dearly, but I don’t like them very much right now. I would rather have you here with me. Justin was going to spend the night here with Brianna and me, but maybe he should go home with you. We’ll be fine here by ourselves.” Stacy assured him. She didn’t like the idea of Brian being home alone after all that had taken place.

“No. His place is here with you and Brianna. I will be just fine. You did good, Stacy. Congratulations on having the most beautiful baby in the world.” Brian said with emotion.

“You’re just biased because you love her father.” Stacy teased, trying to lighten his mood.

“Yes, I do. More than you will ever know. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He replied with sadness as he walked out of the room. When he entered the hallway, he wasn’t surprised to see his parents glaring at him.

“I’m out of here.” He said to no one in particular.

“Why don’t you do us all a favor and go back to Europe? You’re not welcome here!” Jack stated, taking his wife’s hand and leading her back in the room.

“Maybe I will.” Brian whispered as he walked away, fighting the desire to drag Justin with him.

“Brian?” Justin called to his retreating back. Brian never turned around. He continued down the hallway without looking back, disappearing in the elevator. Justin had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He didn’t know exactly what had happened here tonight, but he couldn’t help but wonder if it cost him the love of his life.


The End
 

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