To Love Is to Love Unconditionally

Love is a very crazy thing. You can't control who you fall in love with, be it man or woman, you can't control how many times you fall in love, and you can't be sure when the love started, you just know it's there, residing in you.

Ben and Danny knew the first rule of love. You can't control who you fall for. Neither thought they were gay. If asked the question their first answer would be, "As straight as Bush was a bad president." Yet they're married now, after having dated for 3 years and the previous comment no longer applies to their relationship.

Ben was mulling this over in his head as he sat on the couch in their fair-sized, two story flat. Danny had gone out with the rest of the band to drink and party, like per usual. Danny had invited Ben but he refused the offer claiming he was not feeling well.

Indeed Ben wasn't feeling well. He had been feeling nauseous lately and certain foods he used to like made him cringe. He'd been sick in the mornings for the past couple of days also.

Danny didn't know yet because he was usually knocked out on the sofa when Ben was hurling his guts into their on-suite bathroom. By the time he woke up, Ben was feeling better and had cleaned himself up.

The front door slammed open and in stumbled Danny, clearly intoxicated.

"Benny!" He cried happily. Whenever Danny was drunk, you had to be careful. He had the tendency to change moods quickly.

"Hi, Danny." Ben replied standing up and closing the door, while supporting his stumbling husband. Danny had come home earlier than usual. He had probably been ejected for fighting or something of the sort.

"Be-Ben-n-n-y, I love you." Danny laughed as Ben practically pulled Danny up the stairs.

"I love you too." Ben sighed and lay Danny in bed. He helped him out of his grimy, disgusting clothes, stripping him down to is boxers. Ben then changed from his sweatpants and t-shirt into a pair of plain basketball shorts. He crawled into bed next to his smashed husband. "Goodnight, Danny."

Danny's hands snaked around Ben's waist and pulled him closer. "Pssht, Ben!" Danny's breath stank of alcohol. "Ben, Ben, Ben, Be-" Ben cut Danny off frustrated.

"What?"

Danny nuzzled into Ben's hair and mused. "Have you ever thought of having a kid?"

Ben's heart swelled with joy. He'd always wanted to have kids and now that he had found the love of his life, he wanted them even more. A tiny creature with Danny's blue eyes and perfect lips and Ben's brown hair and nose. Ben could just imagine it. But his heart deflated when he was brought back to reality. Danny was drunk out of his mind, smashed beyond belief. He didn't comprehend what he was saying.

"Goodnight, Danny." Ben finished and the conversation was left alone.

The next morning, Ben felt sick. He wiggled out of Danny's grasp and bolted towards the bathroom just in time to heave the contents of his stomach.

His retching woke Danny who immeadiately climbed out of bed and walked over to the bathroom, supporting himself on the doorframe. Ben gagged one last time before he flushed the toilet and rested his head on his arms.

"Ben," Danny's voice was hoarse. "Are you okay, baby?" He bent down to Ben's level.

"Does it look like I'm o-fucking-kay, Daniel?" Ben snapped. He ran a hand through his hair and over his face. "I'm sorry Danny. I didn't mean to get snippy with you. I..I just don't feel very well."

Danny stood back up. "How long have you had this?" He questioned. He had noticed his husband looking paler and more sallow.

"A week or so..." Ben trailed off, looking away from Danny.

"A week or so?!" Danny repeated shocked. "And you didn't tell me?! You could be seriously sick!"

Ben avoided Danny's gaze so Danny reached down, and taking his thumb and fore-finger, turned Ben's face towards him. "Look at me." Danny sighed. "I'm not mad at you. I'm just worried. I love you, Ben."

Ben half-smiled and stood up slowly, grabbing Danny's hand and intertwining his fingers with Danny's. "I love you too."

Later that day, Danny called the doctor's office and scheduled an appointment for Ben to see the doctor a week from then.

The week went by routinely, Ben would get sick, Danny would comfort him, so on and so forth. Finally the day came for the appointment. Ben was slightly nervous about the visit. He wanted to know what was wrong with him but at the same time he didn't. Danny was terrified. He didn't want anything to be wrong with his husband and hoped it was a passing stomach bug.

They had been sitting in the office for almost 15 minutes when the doctor called into the waiting room for "Benjamin Bruce and Daniel Worsnop."

Ben took Danny's hand and they followed the nurse to a small, soapy smelling room. Ben hopped up on the small medical table while Danny sat in a hard blue chair.

Minutes later a small, blond doctor with glasses came in carrying a clipboard. "Ah, Mr. Bruce and Mr. Worsnop, how are you?"

Ben shrugged and replied with a simple "Good."

The doctor nodded. "It says here you have been sick for over a week? Any other symptoms?"

Ben shrugged again. "Y'know, sickness, nausea, cravings, all that stuff."

The doctor made little affirmative noises at every symptom while writing down notes. On the last symptom she stopped.

"Did you say craving?"

Ben cocked his head. "Uh, yeah."

The nurse nodded and wrote some more. She finally spoke. "I'm going to have to ask you to lay on your back for me please. I'm just going to check some things."

Ben did as he was told and the nursed started to lightly press on his stomach and under rib area. She nodded before taking the stethoscope and placing in on his belly. She nodded again and wrote some more down.

Danny thought he was going to explode with anticipation. The nurse turned to Danny and said, "We are going to need some further testing but I'm under the impression that Mr. Bruce is pregnant."

The room was silent.