Can’t Look Away

Letting out a sleepy groan, Sasha rolled onto her stomach, her hand blindly searching the end table for the phone which was ringing, disturbing the otherwise silent bedroom. It was early. The bedroom was still dark, and Sasha could still hear Lionel’s even breathing next to her, but with the phone having gone off a couple of times already, she knew that she couldn’t ignore it. Whoever was calling seemed desperate to get a hold of her, and Sasha knew that, if she had any chance of getting back to sleep, then she needed to pick up. Reluctantly lifting her head, she spotted the phone before she dragged it to her ear, mumbling a muffled hello.

“Sasha?” James’s voice was strained “Please, tell me you’ve finally picked up” he added.

“It’s still dark outside, James” Sasha complained sleepily.

“I’ll apologise later” James replied quickly “Right now, I need you to get over here. Ellie’s in labour, the contractions are really close together, and our midwife is out of town. I need your help, Sasha” he added.

Sasha sat up quickly, swinging her feet to the floor. “Are you at a hospital?” she asked.

James didn’t reply to the question immediately, speaking to what Sasha assumed was Ellie, before he sighed. “She hates them” he answered “We were always going to do this at home, but the due date’s not until the middle of next week. I’ve tried getting a hold of our midwife, but I can’t. Sasha, I need you here, OK? Can you just get here, please?” he pressed desperately.

“I’m on my way” Sasha replied soothingly “I’m going to put you on speaker now, OK? I need you to tell me exactly what’s going on with Ellie” she added as she tossed the phone down onto the end table, allowing her to go and grab the first things she could out of the wardrobe.

James answered the questions Sasha asked whilst she got changed and she did her best to assure him that things were going to be alright. After she had pulled on a pair of shoes, she swept the phone off of the table, pressing it against her ear again. “Right, I am just about to leave” she said.

“Can you stay on the phone?” James prodded.

Sasha bit her lip, casting a glance over towards Lionel who looked up at her, his forehead creased in sleepy confusion, before she nodded. “He’s going to hate me for it, but I am going to get Leo to drive me to you so that I can focus on the phone, OK?” she replied, offering Lionel a pleading look.

Lionel sighed, but nodded his head, earning a grateful smile from Sasha who continued to speak quietly into the phone, trying to reassure her older brother. Shuffling around the room, Lionel pulled on a pair of shorts and stuffed his feet into a pair of shoes before he gestured to the door, ushering Sasha out of it and down the stairs.

~#~
Hesitating in the hall, Lionel held his hand a small distance away from the closed bedroom door, worried that if he knocked, he’d disturb whatever was happening inside. It’d been hours. After they had arrived at James and Ellie’s, Sasha had been swept into the bedroom and Lionel had been left to sleep on the sofa, but with the morning getting on, he knew that he had to leave and he didn’t want to do it without at least letting Sasha know.

Letting out a quiet sigh, he listened for any sign of movement before he lightly rapped his hand against the door.

“Come in” Sasha’s voice was soft and quiet.

Lionel slowly pushed the door open, smiling slightly at the sight of Sasha, before his eyes tracked downwards, widening at the sight of the bundle she held in her arms.

Sasha smiled gently at his wide eyes before she looked down, marvelling at the baby in her arms. “James is helping Ellie to take a shower” she said quietly.

Lionel stayed in the doorway, nodding his head wordlessly. He didn’t want to accidentally admit to the flip his stomach had given at the sight of Sasha with a baby in her arms or that his mind had immediately jumped to the thought of her one day looking up at him, their own baby cradled in her arms.

“Aren’t you going to come a little closer?” Sasha asked, smirking a little to herself.

Lionel hesitated, but eventually dragged his feet a little closer. Crouching down, he quietly admired the baby before he smiled up at Sasha. “He’s beautiful” he whispered.

“She” Sasha corrected.

Lionel nodded, acknowledging the correction, but he didn’t say anything more, allowing a comfortable silence to settle between the two of them. They stayed that way for a few minutes, both of them content to admire the new addition, before the sound of the bathroom door inching open caused them both to look up, cheeks flushing pink at the sight of James’s teasing smile.

James grinned at them, prepared to tease them, but whatever he was going to say was cut off when the baby let out a croaky cry.

“She needs her papa” Sasha cooed softly.

James brightened at the word before he crossed the room, gently plucking the baby out of Sasha’s arms.

Lionel watched the other man with the newborn for a moment before he stood up, lightly tugging Sasha along with him. Sasha smiled at the sight of her brother, but followed Lionel without complaint. Tugging the door closed, they both stood in the hall for a moment before Sasha bridged the gap, embracing Lionel who was more than happy to return the favour, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head. “Is everything alright?” he asked.

“Ellie did amazingly” Sasha replied “And she and baby are fine. James was anxious and overexcited, but most new dads are” she added.

“And you?” Lionel prodded, leaning back to study her face.

Sasha quirked a grin. “Tired” she replied “But I’ve already got my shift covered, so I can head home and get some sleep” she added.

“I’ve got to head back now, so you can come with me” Lionel mused.

Sasha nodded, stretching slightly. “I’ll just say goodbye to James quickly, and then we can go” she mused.

“Give him my congratulations” Lionel mused “The baby’s beautiful” he added.

Sasha smiled at him slightly, but she didn’t say anything before she ducked back into the bedroom, leaving Lionel stood in the hall, biting down on his tongue to stop himself from admitting just how much he wanted the image in his head to become a reality sooner rather than later. He knew Sasha had a timetable. After things the way things between her and Alex had gone, Sasha didn’t want any surprises, and it meant that she had a clear idea of when she wanted things to happen between them, but Lionel hoped that it would start to become slightly more flexible as more time passed and that Sasha would let the moments come when they did instead of fretting over their timing.