Baby Mine

Gerard presses his foot down on the accelerator a little more and feels the hot plastic of the steering wheel under his hands as the car picks up speed and he keeps control of it. He takes the next right and slows to a stop as he pulls into the drive of his parents' house, his childhood home. He stubs his cigarette out in the ashtray and switches off the engine, pulls the keys out of the ignition and opens the door so he can step out of the car. He walks to the front door and opens it, stepping into the house and inhaling the familiar smell of fresh baking, filter coffee and cigarette smoke.

"Mom?" he calls as he makes his way down the hall, shrugging off his jacket on the way and slinging it over the back of the armchair nearest the door.

"In the kitchen, hon," Donna calls back. Gerard follows her voice and smiles when he gets there, wrapping his arms around his mother as she turns to face him. "I've missed you."

"It's been four days, Ma," Gerard groans, rolling his eyes and chuckling lightly. Donna cups Gerard's face in her hands and kisses his cheek.

"A mother always misses her baby."

Gerard laughs and shakes his head, taking a seat at the kitchen table and unashamedly making grabby hands at the mug his mother offers him. Donna sits opposite with her own mug and looks intently at her eldest son.

"So, how is everything? What have I missed?" she asks eagerly. Gerard sets his cup down and smiles.

"Ray and Christa have had their baby," he tells her, knowing this news will set her off. He's not wrong, she claps her hands together and squeals slightly.

"Oh, how wonderful! Girl or boy?"

"A little boy. They named him Jackson."

Gerard tells her all about him, his adorable little green eyes and the unexpected lack of hair, and of course his unbelievable pair of lungs. He tells her all about how Frank took to changing diapers like a pro and how Ray had asked Gerard to write some little books for the baby. After a while he becomes a little distant and doesn't realise he had started to just gaze into his coffee. He's snapped out of it by Donna clapping in front of his face and asking what's wrong. Gerard remains silent, not sure if he should tell her about his and Frank's conversation one night prior.

"I know there's something, Gerard. What is it?" Donna presses with absolutely no intention of letting this go. Her son has a secret and she's damned if she's not going to find out what it is. Gerard sighs.

"I-, It's nothing really, just that Frank and I were talking last night and I think... I think he wants us to have a baby."

Donna's eyes widen slightly at the words. She always knew this day would come, but she hasn't expected it would come so soon, with the couple only having been married for a little under a year. Not that she objects, quite the opposite in fact, she's just quite surprised. When his mother doesn't speak, he continues.

"But I'm not sure. I don't think we're ready for that."

"Well, why not? You certainly love each other enough, and you're financially stable enough for it." Donna assures him.

The couple have never been rolling in cash but they absolutely earn enough between them to pay the bills and still have a healthy sum left over for savings and the odd luxury. They have a beautiful house, not huge but spacey and homely, with a master bedroom, two smaller rooms and a decent bathroom. It even has a fairly spacious back yard. They both have decent cars, too.

"I'm just thinking about the kid, you know? Growing up with two dads wouldn't exactly make it the most popular kid, and we can't afford to give it all it could possibly want. I want to be in a position where I can spoil my child, Mom."

"No, you don't. Gerard, a spoilt child will always grow into a brat." Donna warns her son. "I never spoiled you boys. You got what you wanted mostly, yes, but we always taught you to appreciate everything. And as for having two fathers, you and Frank can give one child more love and stability than a room full of children get round here."

"I guess," Gerard mutters. He just doesn't know what to do. He has always wanted to be a dad and he couldn't possibly have found a better person to do that with than Frank, but can they really give a child the life it deserves? Could he and Frank's relationship even survive the struggle and hardships they'd have to face to even get to that stage? He doesn't know.

He figures the only way to possibly know could well be to brave the ride.