Archive of Our Own

6 Years Ago

The single most awful moment in his life occurred at 5:36 pm on a Friday.

"Mr. Tomlinson?" a female voice on the other end of the cell phone call asked.

"Yes," he confirmed.

"My name is Marina Caldwell. I'm a nurse at the Royal London Hospital. You were listed as an emergency contact for Harry Styles."

Louis' stomach dropped. It took him a moment to get out, "Is he okay?"

"Mr. Styles was involved in an accident, and he's in surgery now," the nurse reported. "You may want to come to the hospital."

"I'll be there straight away." Louis was already grabbing his car keys and jacket and heading for the door.

Louis felt lucky he didn't get in an accident of his own as he drove to the hospital. He barely remembered much about the drive, if he was honest. In the car park, he took the first space he saw, then ran into the A & E, skidding to a halt just in front of the nurses' station.

It didn't take long for the nearest nurse to look up at him. "Can I help you?"

Breathlessly, he explained, "I got a call about Harry Styles. They told me he'd been in an accident and is in surgery."

"And you are?" she asked.

"Louis Tomlinson. Harry's my boyfriend."

The nurse tapped away at her computer for a moment, then read the screen carefully. All the while, Louis wanted to scream. Harry was somewhere within this hospital, and Louis needed to find out if he was okay now.

Finally, after what felt an eternity, the nurse looked back up. "Mr. Styles is still in surgery. If you go up to the third floor, you can check in at the nurses' station there, and they'll direct you to the surgical waiting room."

"Third floor?" Louis confirmed, not confident in his thinking ability just then.

She nodded. "The lifts are right over there." She pointed behind her and to the left.

Louis started to step away, then remembered his manners. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she said before turning back to her duties.

He didn't have to wait long for a lift to arrive, but the ride up to the third floor seemed long, as they stopped on the first and second floors for visitors and staff to get on and off. The lift opened right in front of the promised nurses' station, and Louis started over to try to get someone's attention as soon as possible.

The nurse who looked up when Louis approached the desk had the same information that the one down in A & E had. Harry was still in surgery. She took Louis' name, though, and pointed him in the direction of the waiting room, assuring him that the doctor would be in to speak with him as soon as he could.

Louis thanked her and then trekked to the end of the hallway and the waiting room. It was almost completely empty. In the corner, holding hands, were a young couple who Louis assumed were waiting to hear about their own loved one in surgery. Louis hoped they all got good news soon.

As he sat down, he realised he should ring Harry's mum. He had been so consumed with getting to the hospital, he hadn't thought to let anyone else know what was going on. He stepped out in the hallway to make the calls, in deference to the couple in the corner.

Anne picked up the call right away. Louis wished he had more to tell her, but he promised to call again once he'd spoken to the doctor. She promised she was getting right in the car to head down to London. Louis almost told her to wait, but if this was serious enough that Harry was in surgery, Anne should probably be there. He told her he'd see her soon.

He rang his own mum, too, nearly crying when he heard her voice. He told her exactly what he'd told Harry's mum. She offered to come down, too, but he told her Anne was on the way. His mum said she'd come straight away if Louis changed his mind and wanted her there. His mum was the best.

With those two calls made, Louis had nothing left to do but wait.

He tried thumbing through some of the very old magazines sitting on a nearby table, but they were all pretty insipid. He didn't really need to know the latest on any reality TV stars or what the latest fashions were. He tried pacing the floor, but the young couple side-eyed him until he sat back down. Finally, he resorted to his phone and a silly word game he'd downloaded recently.

He hadn't been on the phone too long before a doctor entered the room and asked, "Who's here for Harry Styles?"

Louis raised his hand and stood. "I am."

"Why don't we step into the hall?" the doctor suggested.

Louis nodded, following the older man into the hall.

The doctor held out his hand. "I'm Dr. Shafford." He was a man in, probably, his forties, dark hair and piercing blue eyes. He offered Louis a supportive smile, and Louis hoped he could trust him to take care of Harry.

Louis took his hand. "I'm Louis Tomlinson, Harry's boyfriend. How is he? What happened?"

"Mr. Styles was brought in with injuries sustained in a car accident. The police were at the scene, and I'm sure they'll have all the details of the actual accident for you," the doctor began.

Those particular details would have to wait; he needed medical details. "How badly was he injured?"

"He was conscious when he was brought in, with only a minor head injury," Dr. Shafford went on. "He had sustained multiple contusions, but none were serious. The major injury was to his spinal cord. He displayed no feeling or movement below his waist. The surgery was to stabilise his spine, and he's come through the surgery well."

"No feeling or movement?" Louis repeated the most distressing words the doctor had uttered. "Is that permanent?"

"I'm sorry to have to tell you that it looks like it. It was a complete injury, with his spine severed at T-10, in the thoracic region, or the middle of his back. This kind of injury is rarely reversed."

So, this was what devastation felt like.

Recognising that Louis needed a moment, the doctor continued, "He's in recovery now, and we'll move him to a room soon, and then you can see him."

Louis yearned for nothing more than to see Harry, be assured that he was alive, if no longer completely whole. "What's next, once he wakes up?"

"I'll be honest with you," Dr. Shafford said. "He has a long road ahead of him. First healing from his injuries, then rehabilitation to learn how to deal with the paralysis."

Louis nodded. That all made sense.

"With the right attitude, he can lead a full life despite the paralysis. Your support will be vital," the doctor insisted.

"I'm not going anywhere." Louis was just as insistent. After a beat, he thought to ask, "Does he know? That his injury is permanent."

Dr. Shafford shook his head. "I'll be in to talk to him after he wakes."

At least Louis could be with him when he heard the bad news and assure him that they'd get through this together.

The doctor excused himself to go tend to his patients, telling Louis once again that someone would be by to take him to Harry as soon as he was moved to a private room. Louis retired back to the waiting room. He was filled with more anxiety than he'd ever remembered experiencing.

He had texts from both Anne and Gemma. Anne was just an hour away, and Gemma told him she would be on her way shortly. Both of them seemed set to make it in time for Harry to learn that his life had just changed forever. Louis dreaded having to tell them both what the doctor had said, so he decided to wait until they arrived.

Louis' next decision was to call his own mum back. The couple that had been waiting had stepped out while he was getting Dr. Shafford's report, so Louis didn't have to leave his seat to call.

He gave his mum a quick rundown on what the doctor had said. Louis didn't even have to ask her to come. She told him that she'd arrange for a sitter for the kids and she'd head right down. Louis nearly cried at the thought of seeing her.

While Louis was still alone, he decided to seek out some tea. He wandered the hall for a minute or so before a nurse took pity on him and offered directions to the machine that was apparently just one right turn away. There was also a vending machine there. Despite the stress of the day, his stomach grumbled, so he got a pack of crisps to go with the very weak tea the machine spat out.

Back in the waiting room, he hardly noticed the taste of the tea and crisps. His brain was too busy repeating a new mantra. Harry was never going to walk again. The pain grew no less with each pass the thought made through his brain.

He was just binning the empty tea cup and crisp bag when Gemma rushed through the waiting room door. She wasted no time in throwing her arms around him and hugging him tight. He held her just as tightly, putting off the moment he'd have to tell her about Harry's diagnosis.

"How is he?" Gemma asked as she was pulling away.

"He's in recovery," Louis answered. "He had to have surgery to stabilise his spine."

Gemma gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. After a moment, she slowly lowered her hand. "His spine?"

Louis nodded. "It's bad, Gemma. His spine was severed."

With a deep breath, Gemma continued with her questions. "Will he recover from that?"

This time, Louis shook his head. "The doctor said he won't ever walk again."

Tears pooled quickly in Gemma's eyes, and Louis took her in his arms once more, as much for himself as for her. He felt a few tears of his own trickle out as they comforted each other.

This whole scene was repeated when Anne arrived a short time later. She had been visiting friends in Bath, so her journey had not been nearly as long as it had been if she'd been at home.

She, Gemma, and Louis were having a group hug, all of them crying, when a nurse entered the waiting room and asked, "Harry Styles family?"

Almost as one, they ran their hands under their eyes and turned to the nurse.

"That's us," Anne told her.

"I'm Nora. If you'll follow me, I'll show you to Mr. Styles's room," the nurse said.

In a line--Anne, then Gemma, and finally Louis--they followed Nora down the hall to the lifts, which they took to the fourth floor. Harry's room was not far from the fourth floor nurses' station.

"Don't be alarmed, but he's hooked up to quite a few machines," Nora warned them. "He should be waking up any minute now."

"Can we all go in?" Louis asked.

Nora nodded. "Sure."

"Thank you," Louis returned.

In the same order in which they'd followed Nora down the hall, they entered Harry's room--Anne, then Gemma, then Louis.

Louis hauled in a deep breath before taking his first real look at Harry.

The first thing Louis noticed was that Harry was pale, his skin only a few shades darker than the white sheets on which he lay. He was hooked up to a couple of IV lines and a heart monitor. He lay almost completely flat on the bed, only his head slightly elevated.

Harry's chocolate brown curls were slightly hidden under a bandage covering what Louis could only assume was a head wound, and there were various bumps and bruises on his arms, resting along his sides.

Louis could barely even look at Harry's legs. Since Harry remained unconscious following his surgery, of course his legs were still. It broke Louis' heart to know they would stay still, even after Harry woke.

Anne took a position on the far side of Harry's bed, Gemma pulling over a chair for her mum, then for herself to sit right next to her. Louis settled on the other side of the bed, taking Harry's hand in his, kissing the back of it.

Louis was hooking a chair leg with his foot so he could sit when Harry moaned and began moving his head. Abandoning the chair, Louis focused all his attention on his boyfriend.

"Harry?" Louis questioned softly.

Harry moaned again at the sound of Louis' voice, then his eyes blinked open slowly. Blearily, he looked at Louis, then turned his head just a little, wincing, to take in the sight of his mum and sister. Looking back at Louis, he licked his lips and in a raspy voice asked, "What happened?"

"You were in a car accident," Louis told him, working hard to keep his voice low and even. "Do you remember that?"

Harry closed his eyes for another moment, then opened them again, giving his head a slight shake. "I don't remember."

"That's okay, baby," Anne assured him, running her hand softly on Harry's upper arm.

"I'm in hospital." Harry wasn't asking a question.

Louis nodded. "You are. You had to have surgery."

Harry squinted. Louis didn't know whether it was the bright light on the ceiling or because he was trying to sift through his memories. "I was hurt?" That was a question.

Gemma or Anne must have pressed the button to alert the medical staff that Harry was awake because Louis was saved from having to discuss the particulars of the surgery by a nurse called Emma who came in to check Harry's vitals. She shooed Anne, Gemma, and Louis into the hallway while she did her exam.

Dr. Shafford showed up just as Emma was ushering them back into Harry's room.

The doctor checked the chart Emma handed him, then smiled down as his patient. "Well, Harry, it's good to see you awake. We met before your surgery, but you were, understandably, a little out of it. I'm Dr. Shafford."

Always polite, Harry said, "It's nice to meet you again."

"You, too. How are you feeling?" the doctor asked.

"Sort of spacey," Harry replied. "Definitely sore."

"You were pretty banged up," Dr. Shafford remarked, "so that makes sense. We do have you on some pretty strong painkillers, so hopefully that will help."

Harry nodded. "Louis said I had to have surgery…," Harry trailed off, clearly looking for the doctor to offer some clarity.

"You did. Your spine was severed in the crash, and we inserted some titanium rods in order to stabilise it."

"My spine?" Harry repeated. He stopped looking at the doctor and looked down at the still legs Louis had steadfastly tried to ignore. After a moment, in a panicked voice, Harry said, "I can't move my legs." Without thought to the IVs and wires, Harry moved his hands frantically across the tops of his legs. "I can't feel them."

Silently, Louis reached for one of Harry's hands, pulling it away from his legs. Anne took the other hand. Harry looked from Louis to Anne, seeking answers. When he got none, Harry looked back at the doctor, leaving him to break the bad news.

"The break in your spine has caused paralysis in your lower extremities," Dr. Shafford explained.

Harry's swallow was audible. "Is it permanent?"

The doctor nodded slowly. "I'm sorry to say it is. You may regain some sensation as the spine heals, but I'm afraid you won't walk again."

To Louis, it felt like all the air was sucked out of the room. Even if the news wasn't new to him, hearing it at Harry's side made it fresh again. He worked hard to focus on Harry.

Harry looked like he was struggling to breathe. Louis immediately sat on the edge of the bed--wires and tubes be damned--and took Harry's hands in his. "Harry, look at me."

It took a long moment, but Harry looked up at Louis, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"You are not going to do this on your own, Harry. I'm here, your mum's here, Gemma's here. We're going to get through this," Louis vowed.

"You won't leave me?" Harry asked softly.

Louis shook his head vehemently. "I've been all in since the day we met. You can't get rid of me."

"Even if I can't walk?" Harry went on to ask.

"I don't love you for your legs," Louis assured him. "I love you for your heart, and the accident didn't take that."

Harry looked away from Louis and up to his mum. She leaned down and kissed his forehead. "Just like Louis said…we're here. We're not going anywhere."

"Your support will be invaluable," Dr. Shafford interjected. "You have a long road of recovery ahead of you, but with some hard work and some adjustments, you should be able to return to your life."

Harry leaned back into the pillows behind him, closing his eyes.

"I'll be back tomorrow to go over the next steps of your recovery," the doctor stated. "Try to get some rest."

Harry didn't move to say anything, so Louis spoke for him. "Thank you, doctor."

Once Dr. Shafford left the room, Harry did not change his position. He whispered, "I need a moment to myself. Can I have just a moment alone?"

"Of course," Anne told him. "Take as much time as you want. We'll be right outside."

When he opened his eyes to look at them, Anne kissed his cheek. Gemma followed their mother's lead, then followed her from the room.

Louis reached a hand out to turn Harry's face back to his own. "I love you. We'll get through this together. I promise."

Harry gave a slight nod. It was hesitant, but Louis would take it. Closing his eyes once again, Harry turned his face from Louis', and Louis knew he needed to give Harry the space he requested. He leaned down to kiss Harry's cheek. "I'll be right outside, Harry. Always."

He meant it.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

Present Day

Light was streaming through the window when Harry woke up. He checked the clock on his bedside table and saw that it read 9:07. He started to panic, thinking his alarm had failed, then a thought at the back of his brain came forward, and he took in a deep breath and relaxed. It was Saturday.

He looked to his left and found Louis still sleeping. They'd stayed up late the night before, so Harry wasn't surprised. Besides, Harry had always been more of a morning person than his husband.

Once his heart was no longer racing from the panic of thinking he'd overslept, Harry picked up his phone and started to scroll through his e-mail. He'd just determined there was nothing pressing when he heard a low moan indicating Louis was waking up. Harry put his phone down and turned to run his finger gently down Louis' bare shoulder, waiting for Louis to open his eyes.

When the most gorgeous blue eyes he'd ever seen blinked up at him, Harry smiled. "Good morning, sunshine."

Louis smiled back. "Good morning."

"It's Saturday," Harry informed him, "and the sun is shining."

"Are you suggesting we should get out of bed and go outside?" Louis asked, tilting his head back to look out the window behind the bed, then inching closer to Harry to place his hand on Harry's chest.

"Well, maybe not right this minute," Harry stated, raising his eyebrows.

Snaking a hand toward the back of Harry's neck, Louis said, "An excellent plan."

After an hour that went by in a passionate flash, they decided to go ahead and try for the outdoors.

It was Louis' turn to cook breakfast, so he went to jump in the shower first, leaving Harry to ready himself for his turn in the bathroom.

As he manoeuvred himself out of bed and into the waiting wheelchair, Harry realised that the anniversary of his accident was coming up. Six years since his whole life changed forever. Six years since he'd had to learn a brand new way of being. Six years since he'd learned the depths of Louis' love for him.

In some ways, it hurt to remember all the changes he'd had to make to adjust to life using a wheelchair. However, the fact that Louis had stayed by his side the entire time had certainly eased the burden--not to mention his family and his friends who had been more than steadfast themselves.

Harry gathered some clothes for the day--a pair of jeans and a t-shirt he'd bought at a concert not too many weeks earlier--and set them on his lap before rolling into the bathroom to begin his daily routine. They'd long since moved into a flat that was wheelchair-accessible, so he was able to use the toilet and brush his teeth with ease.

He was just drying his hands when Louis stepped out of the shower. "Perfect timing," Harry remarked, moving behind Louis to get to the shower door.

"I'll see you in the kitchen," Louis said, planting a kiss on Harry's forehead.

A shower was made easy with the bench set into the wall and a handheld showerhead. Dressing was always a struggle--pulling jeans up legs that didn't work was never fun--but Harry was just about done when Louis yelled to him that breakfast was ready.

Harry threw on his t-shirt and ran a hand through his wet hair before heading to the kitchen. Louis had made bagels. Harry had to laugh at Louis' persistence in steering away from cooking at every single opportunity. At least the bagels were toasted.

"So, did you have someplace specific in mind when you mentioned the outdoors?" Louis inquired as he spread some cream cheese on his bagel.

Harry shrugged. "Not anything in particular. Maybe we could go down to Canary Wharf. It's been so long since we've been there, and it's always a fun place to hang out. Plenty of shops to wander in and out of."

"Works for me," Louis said amiably. "There's lots of good food down that way, too, so we can have a nice lunch out. It seems like ages since we've gotten to do that."

They were both so busy these days. Louis was a songwriter who was in a fair amount of demand, and Harry had quite a number of clients in his work as a rehab psychologist. When the weekend arrived, they were often too knackered to think about going out and just settled for lazing about and binging some TV.

Before they could settle into old habits, they cleaned up the kitchen from breakfast--an easy task when Louis had chosen bagels--and headed out to the car.

As he often did when transferring himself into the car, Harry thought about how annoying it was trying to get around London by car. The traffic could be a nightmare and parking cost a fortune. Public transportation would have been much preferred. However, since much of the public transportation was not accessible, he and Louis had resigned themselves to keeping a car. Louis had told Harry many, many times that he was not to blame himself, but some days Harry couldn't help it.

Once they were out on the road, annoyance was replaced with deep pleasure. It was such a gorgeous day, and for once, there wasn't a lot of traffic. They easily found a spot in a car park just outside of Canary Wharf, and it was early enough that they didn't have to thread through crowds as they ventured out on the sidewalks.

Harry was a bit of a clotheshorse, so he insisted on going into more than one shop to check out what they had on offer. Louis dutifully tagged along, giving his opinion on the various items that Harry pointed out to him. Louis was more of a tracksuit kind of guy, though he did enjoy dressing up now and then. Harry found a shirt and a pair of trousers he liked, though he knew he would need to take the trousers to be tailored.

They stopped in a home goods shop and a bookshop as well, buying a few new things for their kitchen in the former and several new books in the latter. Deciding they didn't want to carry their purchases to wherever they picked for lunch, they backtracked to the car and left their bags in the boot.

There were many choices for lunch, but after a bit of haggling--Louis was in the mood for a burger, Harry more in the mood for fish and chips--they settled on a pub that looked right out onto the river. Harry knew they'd made the right choice when their server automatically removed one of the chairs at the table by the window, not making any fuss over Harry's wheelchair. He'd have to remember to leave a good tip, regardless of how the food was.

Once they ordered their lunches, they settled in for a little people watching.

"Look." Louis pointed to a couple who were practically glued to each other. They were clearly teenagers, the girl looking up at her boyfriend in awe, him looking back down at her the same way. "They're young and more in love than they've ever been before."

Harry smiled. "I think we used to look like that at each other. Gemma used to tease me all the time about my puppy dog eyes."

Louis chuckled. "I was head over heels from the moment we met." He looked back at the couple, who had stopped to check out the menu of the restaurant next door. "I wonder if they'll be as happy as we are."

They should be so lucky," Harry said, his smile fond.

After a short while, a family walked by. Two men, each guiding a pushchair. In one pushchair was a baby, and in the other was a toddler. While Harry and Louis watched, the toddler unbuckled herself and sprung from the pushchair to run toward the cart selling toys nearby. The father pushing her chair immediately abandoned it to chase after her. Harry and Louis had a laugh at the poor man's expense.

"Maybe it's time to think about it again," Louis suggested, pulling Harry's attention from the hapless dads.

To Harry's mind, it could be a lot of different things. "Think about what?"

"Having kids," Louis clarified, casually picking his water up to take a sip as if this were just a casual topic of conversation.

It was anything but casual, and it instantly threw Harry back to a day about a week after he'd found out he would never walk again.

The clock on his mobile read 11:30 am exactly when Dr. Shafford walked in for what had become his daily check-in. His mum and sister had gone to get cups of tea and scout out options for lunch, but Louis was still there, as he had been almost non-stop since Harry had woken up from his surgery.

"How are you feeling today, Harry?" Dr. Shafford asked.

Harry shrugged. "The pain is getting a little better," he allowed. But he was still paralysed from the waist down.

"That's good," the doctor said. "We can start weaning you off some of the medication soon, then."

Louis jumped into the conversation to ask, "How much longer until Harry can start rehab?"

"Well, you have a little more healing to do before any of the intense stuff, but we can start some less intense stuff today," Dr. Shafford said, addressing Harry, since he was the patient. "Since you're feeling okay, I'll arrange that for this afternoon."

"But he will need to move to a rehab centre at some point, right?" Louis inquired.

The doctor nodded. This time, he met Louis' gaze. "After the PT starts coming, we can determine when Harry will be ready to transfer to a rehab centre."

"Will I still be able to have kids?" The question poured unbidden from Harry's mouth. It was one which had crossed his mind several times in the past week, but apparently today was the day for it to spill out.

Louis very nearly snapped his neck to shift his gaze from the doctor to Harry, but Harry kept looking right at Dr. Shafford. He needed an answer.

It was clear the doctor had addressed this issue with many patients. He was calm and straightforward with his response. "That differs from patient to patient. The accident would not have done anything to your reproductive organs, though your system may be in shock for a while. Pregnancy can be difficult for someone in a wheelchair, but by no means impossible. Once you've been through rehab and get back to your life, this is definitely something you and your partner can explore."

Harry nodded. He and Louis had only been dating for a year, but they were serious, and Harry thought Louis was definitely The One. They both loved kids. Louis came from a big family--he had six younger siblings--and Harry had nephews and nieces he loved to play with. They had vaguely talked about kids, and it was clear they both wanted to have them. Harry's new condition put a very big wrinkle in that plan.

"Don't worry about that now," Louis said, breaking into Harry's thoughts. "We can talk about it once you're in rehab and know more about what things will be like."

Harry nodded again. He was grateful Louis was being so supportive and understanding, but would he remain so if Harry decided he couldn't handle being pregnant in a wheelchair?

Louis' voice dragged him back to the present. "I know you've said before that you weren't ready to think about the idea of having a baby. Has that changed? It's been a while since we discussed it."

Every day, Harry was thankful that Louis had remained as supportive and steadfast as he'd been since the day he'd met Harry--and especially since Harry had been permanently injured. Harry knew Louis wanted to have children, but he'd put exactly zero pressure on him, letting Harry be in charge of that decision. Harry couldn't even remember the last time Louis had brought up the idea of kids.

Harry tilted his head in thought. "I don't know if I'm ready," he admitted.

"It's okay if you're not," Louis assured him. "I know it's a big decision."

"If I'm honest, I do think about it every once in a while," Harry told him. "I try to imagine being pregnant or being a dad."

"Well, for what it's worth, I think you'd be gorgeous pregnant," Louis flattered him. "And I know you'd make a great dad. Not even a question."

The warmth in Harry's cheek was welcome. It was nice to know Louis was so certain about things. It balanced out the many doubts Harry had.

"I think you would be a great dad, too," Harry returned the compliment, meaning every word. Louis was amazing with his younger sisters and brother, and Harry knew he'd be amazing with any kids they had.

"Thanks."

Their server stopped by to check in and let them know their food would be out shortly, giving Harry a quick breather.

Once the server left to attend to other patrons, Louis picked up the thread of conversation. "I just want you to know that whenever you're ready to think about whether or not kids might be something you want, I'm here to think with you."

Harry reached across the table for Louis' hand, taking it and rubbing his thumb across Louis' palm. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

With a squeeze to Louis' hand, Harry said, "I promise I'll think about it."

"No rush. We're still young," Louis reminded him with a grin. "We've got plenty of time."

Harry nodded. "I know."

Almost as if she'd been waiting for the heavy conversation to be over, their server reappeared carrying two plates laden with food.

"Thank goodness!" Louis exclaimed as his burger and chips were set in front of him. "I'm starving."

"You are a bottomless pit," Harry teased, lifting his arm back so his fish and chips could be set down.

The grin on Louis' face widened. "You know what, H? I'm okay with that."

                                    *                                  *                                  *

Sunday morning dawned in an opposite fashion from Saturday. When Harry woke, his bedside clock read nine a.m., but the room was still quite dark. A peek through the window revealed a torrential thunderstorm. An enormous clap of thunder made him pull the covers up under his chin. He was in no hurry to get up just yet.

Louis could sleep through anything. Sure enough, the sound of gentle snoring told Harry that a thunderstorm was no exception, even as it was rare for them to have a true thunderstorm in London.

With a little time to himself for contemplation, Harry first thought about a plan for the day. If he recalled correctly, Gemma had floated the idea of lunch. If the rain went away, that was an appealing idea. Gemma was a relatively new mum, so her free time was somewhat limited. A chance to visit with her and his baby nephew was priceless.

Thinking about Baby Sebastian reminded Harry of the conversation he and Louis had had over lunch the day before. The only surprising thing had been that it had taken so long for Louis to once again bring up the idea of a Harry and Louis baby. It had been a year or two since the last time, and Harry had flat out said he wasn't ready that time.

He'd meant it when he told Louis he didn't know if he was ready yet. It was also true that every once in a while, he imagined what it would be like to be pregnant or to care for a baby and use a wheelchair at the same time.

Before the accident, Harry had looked forward to being pregnant. He had been excited about the prospect of feeling a new life growing inside of him. He wasn't sure what he'd feel if he were to fall pregnant now. He had feeling right until just above his belly button, and then about an inch or so of fuzzy feeling right below that, then nothing. Would he be able to feel a baby kicking? What about sensing labour pains or pushing a baby out? Were those things he'd be able to do?

And once the baby was actually there, how would he carry the baby from place to place? Louis would be there much of the time, of course, but there would be times he wasn't. How would he handle a baby then? What kind of hands-on parent could he really be?

This was not to mention how challenging it could be when the baby got older. He imagined his kid running away from him just like that toddler had dashed away from her dad at Canary Wharf the day before. Catching up to them in a wheelchair might be tricky business. And what if their kid was sporty? Harry wouldn't really be able to get involved the way Louis could. What if that affected how well he bonded with his kid? There was so much to consider. So many questions.

Harry wanted kids as much as Louis. That hadn't changed. He knew, too, that there were other ways to get a baby. But there was a part of him which didn't want to have a kid if he couldn't give birth himself. He was well aware that that was irrational, but there it was nonetheless. Besides, even if they adopted a baby, a lot of the concerns would still be there, front and centre.

If only he had a crystal ball. He would be able to see, then, how it would go. If he would be a good father or a crap father. It would be so much easier to make a decision if he knew what it would actually be like.

"Your thinking woke me up." Louis' voice made him jump and drove him from all his pondering.

He looked over at Louis, who was looking at Harry with a grin on his face. "Sorry."

Louis shook his head. "No need to apologise. What were you thinking about?"

"Well, at first I was thinking about whether or not the rain would keep us from seeing Gemma, Michal, and Sebastian," Harry explained.

"I don't think it will. That's not for a couple more hours," Louis pointed out, shifting so he was on his side, propped up on his elbow. "Is that all you were thinking about?"

To give himself a moment to construct his words, Harry did a little shifting himself, using his hands to lift himself to a seated position. Finally, he answered Louis' question. "No. Thinking about Sebastian made me think more about our conversation yesterday."

At this admission, Louis changed position once again, crossing his legs over each other and sitting up straight so he could be eye to eye with Harry. "Do you want to tell me what you were thinking?"

Harry sighed. "I was thinking about how hard it could be. First getting pregnant--if I can even get pregnant--then giving birth. Then I was thinking about what it would be like while the kid's growing up."

"I don't think any of those things are easy for anyone," Louis pointed out.

"I guess that's true," Harry conceded.

Louis reached out a hand to take Harry's. "Love, I don't want you to put a lot of pressure on yourself about this. Like I said yesterday, we're young. There's plenty of time for us to think about having kids."

"I know." Harry shrugged. "What if I wait too long, though, and then I can't get pregnant?"

Louis scooched closer to Harry. "If you're putting too much pressure on yourself, you may not fall pregnant anyway."

Harry ran his free hand back through his hair. "I guess that's true, too."

They sat in silence for a few moments, then Louis said, "I've got an idea."

When they were younger, that statement was often the precursor for an idea that might not have been full of merit. These days, though, Louis' ideas were usually good ones. "Oh? What?"

"Why don't we start by checking with your doctors?" Louis suggested. "Let's make sure you're physically able to get pregnant. Why stress over you getting pregnant if it's not possible?"

Harry nodded. "That makes sense. I can call tomorrow for an appointment."

"Do you think you can enjoy your Sunday without obsessing over this?" Louis asked.

Harry smiled softly. "I think so."

"Look out the window." Louis tilted his head toward the outside. "It looks like the rain is slowing down. We should get this show on the road so we can meet up with your sister."

As Louis began to pull away, Harry held fast to his hand. Louis looked back at him questioningly. Harry explained, "Can we keep all of this just between us for now? I don't want to get anyone overly excited before we have any real news."

"Of course," Louis agreed readily. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to Harry's. "Now, do you want the first shower or the second?"

"I'll go first." Harry threw the duvet off his legs and began to reach for his wheelchair. "Since you made breakfast yesterday, if you get out the ingredients, I'll do a real Sunday fry-up while you take your turn."

Louis grinned widely and scrambled off the bed. "I have the best husband in the world."

Harry grinned back at him. "I beg to differ."

                                    *                                  *                                  *

Harry was able to book an appointment with his primary care doctor a little more than a week following his vow to look into the intricacies of potentially getting Harry pregnant. He asked Louis to come with him, and Louis' response was that he'd already been planning to.

Even though he was long out of rehab, Harry still had a team of doctors who kept tabs on him. For the purposes of beginning the process of seeing whether or not he could get pregnant, Harry had first contacted Dr. Elizabeth Chandler. He'd been seeing her ever since getting out of rehab. She was an expert in patients with spinal cord injuries, and Harry was incredibly comfortable with her. He knew she would be straight with him about the pros and cons of getting pregnant.

He was wildly nervous on the morning of his appointment, but Louis reminded him to breathe and told him that whatever happened, they would be fine. Their relationship would not be changed one iota if Harry couldn't get pregnant or chose not to get pregnant after talking to the doctors. Harry was reminded that he'd picked the best person in the world to share his life with.

The first part of Harry's appointment was very routine. A nurse checked all of his vitals and got caught up on how Harry was doing medically, then Dr. Chandler came in for a more thorough exam, checking on how Harry's whole body was doing, including asking about any changes in his lower extremities. Harry didn't have anything to report, as he was religious about doing the exercises designed to keep his legs from atrophying. The paralysis he'd grown accustomed to remained exactly the same; the sensation points had moved very little since the initial injury.

When the doctor declared Harry was in perfect health, it was time to ask her what they really came to ask her. Harry lowered himself from the exam table back into his wheelchair and cleared his throat nervously. Louis grabbed his hand to offer a squeeze of support. "Dr. Chandler? I had a question I wanted to ask you."

She smiled warmly at both of them. "Of course."

Harry looked over at Louis before explaining, "We've been thinking about maybe starting a family."

Dr. Chandler nodded to let them know she was following him so far.

With a deep breath, Harry rushed his query out. "I'm the one who's the carrier, so if I wanted to try to get pregnant, could I?"

"Yes, I believe you could," the doctor answered. "Your injury didn't cause any damage to your reproductive organs. You would have to be monitored carefully, as a pregnancy with someone who has experienced a spinal injury can be difficult, but I have had quite a few patients in your position who have very successfully given birth."

Harry honed in on one word she'd said. "What would be difficult about being pregnant?"

"Well, because you're sitting most of the time, your bump can become an issue as it gets bigger," Dr. Chandler told him. "You might have some breathing or digestive problems. Sometimes, bed rest becomes necessary. Labour and delivery might look a little different from an able-bodied person. There are definitely issues to consider ahead of trying to get pregnant."

"That sounds like a lot," Harry remarked, his stomach in knots at the thought of all these issues.

"It can be," she said honestly. "But all of those problems can be managed. You wouldn't be the first paraplegic to get pregnant. We know the kinds of things to look out for."

Louis sat up a little straighter in his seat to join the conversation. "So, I know Harry will want time to think about all of this, but what would you recommend as a next step?"

Dr. Chandler nodded. "You should definitely take the time to think about this, maybe do a little research. If you decided you wanted to go forward, I would suggest making an appointment with an obstetrician to make sure you're in good shape to try conceiving. I can even recommend a doctor whose specialty is paraplegic pregnancies."

"That would be wonderful," Louis said.

The doctor paused to write down some information on a nearby notepad, ripping the top sheet off when she was done. "This is the name and number of Dr. Rebecca Newton, the obstetrician I mentioned. If you decide you want to try for a baby, go ahead and give her a call."

Harry took the slip of paper, tucking it into the pocket of his trousers. "Thanks."

"And don't hesitate to call me if you have any other questions," she added, rising from her stool. "This is a big decision. It's good to have all the information you can gather."

Harry and Louis thanked her, then followed her into the hallway. She went to her next appointment, and Harry and Louis made their way out of the office and to the lifts.

As they entered the first lift to arrive, Louis said, "So, what are you thinking?"

Harry turned his chair so it was facing the lift door. "My head is swimming a little."

"That was a lot of information," Louis agreed. "There's definitely a lot to consider."

For a beat, Harry fell quiet. They were almost to the lobby when he said, "I just need a little time to consider it."

A bell dinged to let them know they'd reached their destination. "That's the deal," Louis said, letting Harry off the lift first. "You have as much time as you need."

Harry spun around to face Louis, a smile growing on his face. "I'll get right on it. But first, lunch?"

Louis grinned. "Lead the way."

                                    *                                  *                                  *

Harry's potential new obstetrician was busy--which he and Louis took as a good sign. It would be about three weeks before she could fit them in.

Harry used the time to do a lot of research. Whenever he could spare some time, he tried some judicious Googling, finding plenty of stories that made him hopeful, along with some which gave him pause.

It was clear that carrying a baby to term, then delivering was not an easy prospect. There were lots of speedbumps along the way, some that Dr. Chandler had mentioned and some that she hadn't. It was sobering to note that some paraplegics shared that it took a while to conceive. It told Harry this would be a marathon, not a sprint.

At Louis' request, Harry shared much of the information he uncovered. Harry ended up very glad they had time before his obstetrician appointment. He felt much more prepared, with questions to ask and issues he already knew about if she brought them up.

As he had with Dr. Chandler, Louis accompanied Harry to his appointment with the obstetrician. It would be good for both of them to hear everything, since this was very much a joint venture. Besides, Harry was anxious enough that he was likely to forget at least some of what they leaned. Hopefully, Louis would be able to retain that which Harry couldn't.

It was always a little nerve-wracking meeting a new doctor. Since his accident, Harry had met perhaps more than his fair share. Some had been wonderful, others not so wonderful. The waiting room of a doctor's office could often give some insight on what the doctor would be like. Dr. Newton's waiting room immediately began to put Harry at ease.

The room was clearly laid out with the knowledge that people who used wheelchairs would be frequent visitors. There was a lot of room to move around, and there were chairs next to empty spaces where someone in a wheelchair could place it next to one of the regular chairs for their able-bodied companions. The room was painted a soothing tan and was accented in browns and greens.

They were greeted warmly by the receptionist, and Harry was given some paperwork to fill out. They had gotten there with plenty of time to spare before Harry's actual appointment, well aware there might be information to share.

Harry was summoned to the back about five minutes past his time, which was amazing. The wait for most doctors was usually somewhat longer.

He and Louis were shown to an office that was as warm and welcoming as the waiting room had been. As had been the case in the waiting room, the office had plenty of space for his wheelchair, and Louis took the leather chair right next to him.

It wasn't long before a woman entered the room breathlessly. "Hi, Hi." She walked over to Harry first, offering her hand, after which she offered the same to Louis. "I'm Rebecca Newton. It's so nice to meet you both."

As she moved to the other side of the desk so she could face them, she went on, "Sorry to be a little late. I try not to get behind schedule, but sometimes, it's impossible to avoid."

"No problem," Harry assured her.

"Harry, yes?" Dr. Newton confirmed.

He nodded. "This is my husband Louis."

"Excellent. I'm glad you're both here as we start this process," she said.

"It's definitely a little scary," Harry admitted, "but we decided it was time to look into what the possibilities are."

Dr. Newton steepled her fingers on her desk. "I know it can be scary, but I think it will be less scary once you know all the facts and can make an educated decision."

Harry and Louis both nodded.

"So, where do we start?" Harry inquired.

"Well, first, why don't you tell me about yourself," the doctor said.

After a deep, cleansing breath, Harry started, "Well, I was in a car accident six years ago. My injury was at T-10. I was in inpatient rehab for six months, then did a couple years of outpatient rehab. My doctors said they thought I might be able to have a baby at some point, but I've never quite been ready to really think about it. We decided that we needed to know if it was really possible before talking about it any further. So, here we are."

"That sounds both reasonable and practical," Dr. Newton concluded.

Harry went on to add, "If I'm honest, I'm also really nervous about what it would be like to be pregnant and then try to take care of a baby."

The doctor nodded, a sympathetic smile on her face. "Of course. That's understandable." She shifted her gaze from Harry to Louis. "Louis, I'd love to know a little about where you stand on all this. Even though Harry would be the one pregnant if that's the road you both choose, the pregnancy would have a big impact on you, too."

Louis cleared his throat. "I just want Harry to be comfortable with whatever decision he makes. He knows I would love to have kids, but I hope he also knows that I don't want him to do anything he isn't ready for. There are other ways to have a baby if this doesn't sound like something he wants to take on."

"That's good to hear," Dr. Newton said. "This can be a difficult process, so support and understanding from a partner is incredibly important."

Louis reached across the space between them to grab Harry's hand, squeezing it tight.

"So," Harry drew in a deep breath, "where do we start?"

"Well, we'll run a full battery of tests to make sure everything is working the way it should," the doctor explained. "We'll check all your vitals, draw some blood and ask for a urine sample, and we'll also do an internal ultrasound to make sure everything's in order."

Harry nodded. "That all makes sense."

"Great. One of my nurses will show you to a bathroom, then to an exam room. I'll assume you're okay in the bathroom on your own," she paused to shoot him a smile, "but I'll leave it up to you to decide if you want Louis to join you for the other tests."

"I do. If that's okay with you," Harry directed the last to Louis.

"Of course," Louis agreed immediately.

"Then let's get this party started." Dr. Newton pushed herself up from her seat. "Follow me."

The doctor led the way down the hall, where she introduced Harry and Louis to her nurse, Abbie. Dr. Newton explained that Abbie would see to collecting the samples and taking Harry's vitals. She herself would be in to do the ultrasound.

Abbie was sweet and efficient. She left Harry at the bathroom to do his thing, then showed Louis to the exam room, where Harry joined them not very much later. Louis gave Harry a boost up onto the exam table, then Abbie made quick work of taking Harry's vitals and drawing some blood. When she was done, she gave directions for Harry to get ready for the ultrasound, which consisted of removing his trousers and his pants and getting settled into the stirrups which would give Dr. Newton access for the exam. Then Abbie left them to get Harry ready.

As Louis helped Harry with his trousers and pants, Harry quipped, "I guess if I decide to try for a baby, I should get used to people other than you looking at my ass."

Louis chuckled as he folded Harry's trousers, setting them to the side. "I'll have to come to grips with sharing your ass with other people."

"I'm not sure my ass should be that coveted," Harry commented drily.

"Don't be so sure," Louis countered. "It's a very fine ass."

Harry chuckled. "If you say so…."

They decided to wait until the doctor was back to actually get Harry into the stirrups. Louis grabbed the paper drape that had been left and suggested Harry cover up with that, just in case someone else needed to come in.

While they waited for the doctor to reappear, they chatted about pretty light topics. Harry appreciated the distraction from the heavy topic that brought them to the doctor's office. There would be plenty of time for those discussions after all the test results were in.

A knock interrupted Louis' story about his recent session with Ed Sheeran.

"Come in," Harry called.

Dr. Newton opened the door and entered the room. "Hello again, gentlemen. How are you holding up, Harry?"

"Okay so far," he replied. "Abbie was very efficient, though I do feel a little like I've been drained."

With a laugh the doctor said, "Sorry about that. We need to do a lot of tests, so we need to make sure we have enough samples."

"That makes sense," Harry told her.

Dr. Newton sat down on the stool in front of where a laptop sat on a rolling table. "Ready for that ultrasound?"

Harry nodded. "As ready as I'm ever going to be."

"Louis, why don't you go to Harry's other side?" the doctor requested. "I'll arrange the monitor so you can both watch, if you like."

Louis quickly moved around, still at the ready to help Harry out.

"Let's get you up in these stirrups, then," Dr. Newton said. "Can you back up just a little, Harry?"

With a little assist from Louis, Harry backed up on the table.

"Do you want me to get your legs?" Louis asked, solicitous as ever.

"Sure," Harry allowed. When he'd first gotten home from rehab, it had made him feel helpless to ask Louis to move his legs around. These days, Louis often helped Harry with his leg exercises, along with things like this where it was just easier for Louis to do the heavy lifting--so to speak--and Harry didn't mind the aid.

Louis got Harry's legs up and into the stirrups, then covered Harry up with the paper drape as much as he could and still let Dr. Newton do her job.

When she was done entering information on her laptop, Dr. Newton picked up a narrow wand, explaining, "I don't know how much of this you'll feel. I have many paraplegic patients, and every one of them is different. You may feel nothing, you may feel a little pressure, you may feel a little discomfort. Just let me know if you need me to slow down or pause, okay?"

"Okay," Harry agreed. In general, he didn't feel much of anything in that area. When he and Louis had sex, Louis knew he had to focus on Harry's upper half, where he had full sensation. Every once in a while, Louis hit just the right spot, and Harry would be taken back to his pre-accident days, but he doubted the doctor would run into that spot during this exam.

Dr. Newton squirted some gel on the end of the wand, then slipped it under the drape and--Harry presumed--up his ass.

It was only a few seconds before the doctor began narrating the exam, pointing to each detail on the monitor as she spoke about it. "Everything looks pretty good here, Harry. Nothing is out of place, and it looks like there's plenty of room for growing a baby. Your lining looks intact and just the right width. I don't see any indications that your ovaries and tubes won't operate exactly as they're supposed to."

"That's good, then, H," Louis remarked.

Harry nodded, both relieved that it appeared nothing was out of order and somewhat terrified that it appeared nothing was out of order. The concept of getting pregnant and carrying a baby seemed exponentially more real, and Harry still didn’t know if he was ready.

As Dr. Newton removed the wand from inside Harry, she said, "Well, Harry, it looks like there's nothing amiss with the physical parts you'd need to get pregnant. We just need to check all those samples to make sure everything is as it should be."

"That's good," Harry echoed Louis' thoughts from just a minute or two earlier. He met the doctor's gaze and gestured to his legs. "Can I?"

"Sure." The doctor nodded. "I'm all done. Here's a cloth you can clean with." She handed over a pale blue flannel.

Dr. Newton focused on her laptop while Harry cleaned up and let Louis help him get his legs out of the stirrups. He left his legs hanging off the table and covered them with the drape. He'd finish getting dressed when the exam was finished.

"So, how long will the tests take?" Louis wanted to know.

"No more than a week," Dr. Newton assured him. "I'll give you a call as soon as I have all the results, then we can talk about how to proceed."

"Thank you," Harry said.

The doctor stood and smoothed her skirt. "In the meantime, don't hesitate to call me if you have any questions." She shook Harry's hand, then Louis'. "It was nice to meet both of you."

Once Dr. Newton had exited the room in search of her next patient, Louis helped Harry get himself dressed once again and off the table and back into his wheelchair. Harry led the way back to the reception area, where they were told they were good to go.

As they made their way back to the car, Louis asked, "So, that wasn't too bad. What did you think?"

"I liked the doctor," Harry responded. "The nurses, too. It seems like a good practice. It's really nice to have a place where they take my chair into account."

"Yeah, that was really nice," Louis concurred, holding the door to the outside open for Harry to roll through. "So, what are you thinking about all of this now?"

Harry turned in the direction of the car park. "I don't know. I guess I'm glad everything looks good so far."

"Me, too."

They had developed a routine for getting Harry transferred in and out of the car that was so smooth that they were buckled in and ready to head home in no time.

Before Louis started the car, he turned to face Harry. Harry finished buckling himself in, then met Louis' gaze. "What?"

"Thank you."

Harry wrinkled his brow. "For what?"

"For being willing to look into this," Louis said. "I know you've got a lot of anxiety about the idea of having a baby."

"I do," Harry conceded, "but I want kids, too, so it only makes sense to look into all the options, including me getting pregnant."

"Well, I still have mad respect for you." Louis grinned.

"Mad respect?" Harry repeated. "Really?"

Louis laughed. "Just trying to keep it fresh."

Harry shook his head, but his grin was as big as Louis'. "Why don't we go home, fresh prince?"

With another laugh, Louis stuck the key into the ignition. "Your wish is my command."

                                    *                                  *                                  *

The week dragged. Waiting for the test results set Harry on edge for the entire seven days. When he was with his clients, he was able to put it out of his mind, but the moment he was on his own and not working, everything came rushing back.

Harry didn't know what he wanted the results to be. On the one hand, being given the all-clear would be a relief. The accident had taken so much from him, it would be nice to have this one thing be left alone. On the other hand, if he got the all-clear, he would really have to consider the idea of getting pregnant. That was still just a little terrifying.

If he wasn't given the all-clear, he was pretty sure that would be devastating. No matter how much anxiety the thought of getting pregnant gave him, he wanted it to be an option. He didn't want to spoil things for Louis. Louis had been an amazing partner, never giving up on Harry, not for one second. Harry knew Louis really wanted a baby with Harry, though he was being very good about not putting the pressure on.

The call came on a Friday afternoon, right after he'd finished with one of his newer clients. He'd just shown her to the door and wished her a good weekend. He only had two more appointments, then he, too, could start his weekend. His phone vibrated on his desk, and his ringtone reverberated through the office. The called was listed as Dr. Newton's Office.

Harry sucked in a deep breath, then answered the call. "Hello?"

"Is this Mr. Styles?" a female voice asked.

"Yes."

"Hold for Dr. Newton, please."

Butterflies immediately took up residence in Harry's stomach. It was the moment of truth.

Time slowed to a crawl as he waited for the doctor to come on. He didn't think it was that long, however, before Dr. Newton joined the call. "Good afternoon, Mr. Styles."

"Harry," he corrected. "Please."

He could hear the smile in her voice as she said, "Okay. Harry. How are you doing today?"

"To be honest, I was fine until I got this call. Now I'm a little nervous."

"Well, let me take you out of your misery," Dr. Newton suggested. "I've got your test results in front of me, and they all look great. Nothing to indicate you'd have any problems getting pregnant."

The butterflies stayed put, but it did feel like a weight was lifted from Harry's shoulders. "Are you sure?" he checked.

"Well, there are complications which can come up which don't show up in these kinds of tests," the doctor told him. "But there's no reason you and your husband couldn't start trying for a baby whenever you're ready."

"Is there anything…," Harry struggled for the words, "…special we should do? If we do decide to try?"

"It might help to tuck up for ten minutes or so after you have sex. Just being still can encourage the sperm and eggs to meet up," Dr. Newton explained. "Other than that, whatever you usually do should be fine. If you find you're trying for a while, but you're not falling pregnant, then we can look into some solutions."

"Okay." Harry's head was swimming.

"I'm available if you have any questions or concerns," the doctor offered. "If you decide you just need to talk about any particulars as you're making your decision, we can chat on the phone or we can arrange an appointment."

"Thank you." Harry was very grateful that Dr. Chandler had recommended Dr. Newton to them. He could tell she was going to be a helpful guide on whatever kind of journey this turned out to be.

"Take your time making your decision, Harry," Dr. Newton recommended. "It's a big decision, and being pregnant could be a challenge. Be sure of whatever you choose to do."

"I will," Harry vowed.

"Call me if you need anything," she concluded her end of the conversation.

"I will. Thanks. Goodbye." Harry ended the call and put the phone down.

His heart was still racing, so he took a moment to breathe in and out and in and out. Then he hauled in one more deep breath for good measure. He felt himself finally calming down, but he didn't pick his phone back up straight away.

He knew he needed to call Louis. As much as Harry had been on tenterhooks, he knew Louis had been, too. Louis would be so excited to hear that at least, physically, they were good to go.

Harry also knew that Louis would continue to be super supportive. In the entire seven years they'd been together, Louis had never been one to push anything. Harry would need that to still be the case; this new news didn't make Harry's decision any easier.

After taking a few more moments to compose some words in his head, Harry picked up his mobile and scrolled to his favourite contact, Louis. He initiated the call, then snuck in another deep breath.

Louis answered on the third ring. "Hey there, love."

Harry aimed for breezy as he returned, "Hi."

"How's your day going?" Louis asked.

"Pretty good," Harry told him. "How's yours?"

"Pretty good here, too. I think we've finally got a good chorus for that song we've been working on all week," Louis said, sounding relieved.

"That's great. I can't wait to hear it." He paused for a second. Louis waited him out, so Harry decided to go ahead and share his news. "Dr. Newton called. I just got off the phone with her."

There was barely-concealed excitement in Louis' voice as he inquired, "What did she say?"

"Everything looks good," Harry reported. "There's nothing physical to keep us from trying for a baby when we're ready."

Louis didn't say anything right away. Harry knew him well enough to know he was carefully planning his response. Finally, he said, "That's great news. How are you feeling about it?"

"A lot of different things," Harry said. "I'm really glad there's nothing wrong with me."

"Me, too," Louis quickly agreed. "Though we'd have figured something out if the tests had shown anything."

Harry was glad every second that he'd picked someone supportive. "I'm also still really anxious," he admitted.

"That makes sense. There's a lot to think about," Louis reminded him. As if he needed a reminder. "I should be done here in about an hour. How soon do you think you'll be able to get home?"

"I have my last client in fifteen minutes, then a little paperwork. After that, I can head out," Harry replied.

"Perfect. I'll meet you there. We'll get Chinese takeaway and we can talk more about your news."

"That sounds great," Harry said, smiling.

"See you in just a little bit," Louis said. "Love you."

"Love you, too."

After ending the call, Harry made a concerted effort to focus on his work. He wrote up some of the notes he needed to add to his records, then he welcomed his last client of the day, a young teenager who had been paralyzed in a biking accident. She had only been to meet with Harry a couple of times, so they were still finding their vibe. In the entire time she was in his office, Harry didn't think about baby-making once.

When he'd wished Ella a happy weekend, Harry finished up his paperwork, then closed up his office. He headed home via the Underground.

They'd very carefully chosen a home with proximity to one of the few handicapped-accessible Underground stations in London, and fortunately his work was near one, too. It was a quick trip home, and he could tell Louis had beaten him there from the haphazard pile of shoes, backpack and jacket in the entry way. Harry's sigh was accompanied by a smile. He didn't think he'd like it if Louis ever changed.

"Louis!" he called. "Come pick this shit up!"

Louis appeared in the entry way in less than thirty seconds. He slid to a halt right in front of Harry, bending down to greet him with a kiss. "Welcome home. Happy weekend!"

As Louis set to work on hanging up his jacket and backpack and straightening his trainers, Harry observed, "You're in a good mood. Good session?"

"Great session," Louis corrected, standing back up. "I think we finally figured out the hook."

Harry grinned. "When do I get to hear it?" He began to wheel toward the lounge.

Louis walked directly behind him, putting his hands on Harry's shoulders and squeezing. "As a matter of fact, I brought home a demo for you to listen to."

Looking back over his shoulder, Harry's grin grew bigger. "Well, don't make me wait."

Within minutes, they were cuddled together on the sofa, listening to the latest collaboration between Louis and Ed. It was a slower song, so Harry leaned back into Louis' chest, closed his eyes, and let the words and the melody wash over him. It was a song about longing for that perfect love, but not quite there yet. Harry knew he was lucky not to be able to relate.

As the last notes echoed throughout the room, Harry sighed. "That was amazing."

"Thanks. It was a tricky one to write, but I think we've finally got it. Do you think we've got a hit?" Louis asked.

"I would be surprised if not," Harry insisted.

"You're not just saying that because you're married to me, are you?" The light tone in Louis' voice told Harry that Louis knew that Harry wasn't talking out of his ass.

"Absolutely not. I'd tell you if the song was a piece of shit," Harry assured him, grinning mischievously.

Louis pushed Harry off of him just a little. "Are you insinuating I've written songs that were pieces of shit?" There was no heat in the words; his grin was just as wide as Harry's.

"Have I ever told you one of your songs was a piece of shit?"

Louis paused for a moment of thought. "No."

"Then none of them have been." After his own pause--one purely for effect--he added, "So far."

"Cheeky!" Louis playfully punched Harry's arm. "Hey, I could use a drink. You?"

"I'd love a beer," Harry said, pushing himself up and off of Louis, resituating himself with just a little effort.

"Be right back."

It was no lie. Louis was back within a minute with two bottles of beer, handing one to Harry before sitting back down with his own and taking a swig.

Harry sipped from his own bottle and sighed happily. "Just what I needed. This week felt endless."

"It really was," Louis agreed. He took one more drink before inquiring, "So, what are you thinking now you've had a few hours to process the news from Dr. Newton?"

"Well," Harry took another drink, "I'm really glad there was nothing wrong."

"Me, too," Louis said. Then he left the floor open for Harry to go on.

After taking a deep breath, Harry did continue. "If I'm honest, I'm a little terrified, too, though."

"Why terrified?"

"Because now I'll have to make a decision," Harry confessed, not quite meeting Louis' gaze.

When Louis didn't say anything, however, Harry forced himself to look up. He found a fond smile on Louis' face. "You don't have to decide anything right now. You know that, right?"

"I do." Harry sighed. "It's just hard to think of anything else. Especially now I know we could try to get pregnant any time."

"I totally get that," Louis sympathised. "When you have a decision to make, it can be so overwhelming."

Harry nodded and blew out a puff of air.

"Well, you know where I stand," Louis assumed. "I would love to have a baby with you, but only if and when you're ready. I think you would look amazing being pregnant, and I know you would be the best dad. You're kind and sweet, and it's not going to matter one bit to our kid that you can't walk."

A blush furiously worked its way into Harry's cheeks. Even if Louis had said as much before, it was still wonderful to hear, and it did help knowing how supportive Louis was. He knew Louis would be with him through every step of the process--if he decided to give it a go.

"Why don't we put that decision to the side for tonight?" Louis suggested. "It's been a long week, and we deserve some down time."

Remembering their conversation earlier in the day, Harry said, "I believe you promised me Chinese takeaway."

Louis snapped his fingers. "I do recall saying that."

"Well, why don't you call in our order, and I'll check to see what's new on Netflix this weekend?"

"Works for me. Want anything different than the usual?" Louis pulled out his mobile to open his food-ordering app.

"Nope," Harry replied, reaching for the TV remote. "The usual will be fine."

Louis grinned and began to place his call.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

For the next couple of weeks, Harry did almost nothing in his free time except think about whether or not he wanted to try to get pregnant. To his credit, Louis just went on as they had been before the topic of kids had come back to the forefront. Harry knew Louis was there for him if he needed to talk, but he also appreciated being left alone with his thoughts to really examine all the sides of this decision.

On the Saturday that fell just two weeks after Harry found out he could go ahead and try to get pregnant if he wanted, Louis had to meet up with one of his songwriting partners. They had gotten into a groove on Friday and didn't want to break the momentum. Harry took the opportunity to set up a brunch date with Gemma and Sebastian. It would just be at Gemma's house. Sebastian was just gone three months old, and Gemma said she wasn't in the mood to deal with all the baby paraphernalia. Harry never minded going to her house. She and Michal had purposely bought an accessible house so Harry would never have an excuse not to visit.

Louis dropped Harry off at Gemma's on his way to the studio and, as always, told Harry to give Gemma, Michal, and Sebastian kisses and hugs from him.

Harry had to give his own best to Michal before Michal left to go meet up with a friend. He guessed Gemma had wanted a little alone time with Harry, which was fine, since it wasn't often they got pure sibling time.

Gemma had set everything up on the patio, a feast of quiche, salad, and croissants she'd gotten from a local bakery. Of course she made them some mimosas to go with the meal--hers virgin since she was breastfeeding, but Harry's full-throttled.

Before he thought about eating, though, Harry parked his chair and made grabby hands for his nephew. Gemma passed him over readily.

Sebastian was gorgeous, with dark brown hair and huge brown eyes. He gave Harry a little smile as he settled into his uncle's arms, then he closed his eyes for a snooze. Harry's heart just melted.

"He adores you," Gemma commented with a grin.

Harry looked down at Sebastian's sweet face. "Well, the feeling's mutual. He's the best."

With a smile, Gemma said, "I agree. Michal and I think we'll keep him."

"If you didn't want him, Louis and I would take him in a heartbeat," Harry assured her.

Gemma took a sip of her mimosa before asking, "So, what are you thinking about the baby thing?"

Harry and Gemma didn't have many secrets, and during a recent phone call, he'd talked to her about how he and Louis had revisited the subject of children and also how he had visited the doctor and gotten the all clear. "I'm still thinking."

"Louis' still being cool about it?" Gemma checked, always in Protective Big Sister Mode.

"The coolest." Harry rocked Sebastian as he murmured in his sleep. "I have to admit, though, the more I think about it, the more I think I might like to go ahead and try for a baby."

Gemma gasped happily. "Really? Does Louis know?"

"Not yet." Harry looked down at his baby nephew. "I don't want to say anything until I'm absolutely sure. I don't want to get him excited, then change my mind."

"So, what's the hold up?" Gemma wanted to know.

Harry sighed and shifted his gaze back to his sister. "I just keep thinking about all the things that could go wrong."

"Well, that's true of anybody trying to have a baby," Gemma reminded him.

"I know," Harry said. "And I've Googled and found plenty of paraplegics who have successfully given birth."

"Then you should go for it," Gemma urged him. "We're all going to be here to support you, no matter what happens. But just think, if you got pregnant soon, your baby and Sebastian would be so close to the same age."

With a smile, Harry acknowledged, "That's true. It would be fun for Sebastian to have a cousin not much younger than he is."

"It would take the heat off of me to have another right away, too," Gemma joked.

Harry heaved another sigh. "I guess I'll go through all the pros and cons with Louis again, then I'll make myself decide one way or the other."

"Keep me posted."

"Of course."

Gemma reached out for Sebastian. "Now you've got him to sleep, let's put him down and try some of this quiche."

Reluctant though he was to let his nephew go, Harry gently handed him over so Gemma could put him in the car seat at her feet.

Laughing, Gemma told him, "You can have him back after we eat. For however long you want. I promise."

Harry laughed right along with her. "As long as you promise."

                                    *                                  *                                  *

He needed another day to think about what he wanted to do. He spent the entirety of Sunday in a distracted state. He was sure Louis noticed, but he seemed happy enough to let Harry think and just watch some football and some of a documentary series on Netflix. By tea time, he decided he was ready to talk it out and make a decision one way or the other.

"What do you think about a little bangers and mash this evening?" Harry asked, sitting up straighter in anticipation of transferring from the sofa back to his wheelchair.

Louis straightened up, too, idly staring at the credits of the third episode of the documentary series they'd decided to binge. "That sounds yummy. You sure it isn't too much work for a Sunday?"

Harry easily shifted from the sofa into his chair, reaching down to align his feet on the footrest. He shook his head as he rose back up. "It's not that complicated. I just have to fry the sausage and mash up some potatoes. Easy peasy."

"Speaking of peasy, will you make me mushy peas, too?" Louis requested, making his best begging face.

"Of course," Harry agreed. "Come on. You can make it even less complicated by mashing some potatoes."

In general, Harry did most of the cooking, but there were some tasks Louis was well-suited for, and mashing the potatoes Harry cooked was one of them. In just under an hour, they had a lovely dinner of bangers, mashed potatoes, and mushy peas. Harry suggested they eat at the dining room table. Louis raised his eyebrows, but set out the plates and silver without question.

After they took a few bites, Harry announced, "I've been thinking."

Louis grinned through his bite of sausage. "Thinking is good." He finished his bite. "What have you been thinking about?"

"Our baby question," Harry elaborated. "Gemma and I talked a little about it when I was there yesterday."

As expected, Louis didn't seem at all upset that Harry had discussed such a personal matter with his older sister. Harry and Gemma had always been close and had never shied away from conversing about the tough stuff. "What does she think about all of it?"

"Well, I'd already told her about the test results and the fact that I was trying to decide what to do," Harry reminded him. "But when I was sitting there holding Sebastian, I realised I really do want a baby of my own. Our own."

Putting down his fork, Louis turned his full attention to Harry. "What are you saying?"

Harry shot him a small smile. "I'm saying I think I'm ready to try to have a baby."

Louis didn’t immediately say anything, no doubt needing a moment to process the implications of what Harry was saying. Harry gave him that time--it was only fair after all the space Louis had given him. Finally, in a quiet voice, Louis asked, "Are you sure?"

Harry nodded. "I am. I know it could be hard, and I know it will take a lot of 'work,' but I want us to have a baby. I want to try to carry our baby."

Louis jumped from his seat and practically ran around the table to lean down and press a kiss to Harry's lips.

After Louis straightened up, a silly grin on his face, Harry laughed. "Does that mean you're on board?"

Louis laughed, too. "I am most definitely on board. When did you want to start?"

"Well, why don't we finish dinner, then go ahead and give it a go?" was Harry's suggestion.

Never before had Harry seen Louis eat--nor clean up after eating--so fast.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

It had been a good long while after Harry returned home from rehab that he felt comfortable trying anything sexual with Louis. As he'd been with everything else since Harry's accident, Louis was patient about this also.

Harry did a lot of research and had some awkward conversations with his therapist before shyly initiating something more than a kiss with Louis. Nothing clicked right away. There was a lot of trial and error before they found positions and rhythms that worked for both of them. Louis made it clear that this was not just about his own "normal" satisfaction. Whatever they did had to be pleasing to both of them.

Six years post-accident, they had a proven routine. There would be only one change this time. No condom.

As always, Louis helped Harry undress. Usually, Harry bristled at being helped out of his clothes, but this was different. This was Louis pulling off Harry's shirt so he could kiss Harry's collarbones. This was Louis helping Harry transfer from the wheelchair to the bed so he could straddle him and plunge his tongue into Harry's mouth. And this was Louis guiding off Harry's trousers as quickly as he could so he could trail kisses up and down Harry's chest. Harry didn't mind this kind of help a bit.

While Louis was divesting himself of his own clothing--tossing them into a haphazard heap with Harry's--Harry took care of situating himself in the centre of the bed, his back resting on a small pile of pillows. When Louis was completely naked, he climbed onto the bed and kneeled next to Harry, running a finger up Harry's arm, up his neck, and up to trace his lips.

"You sure you're ready to do this with no protection?" Louis checked.

Harry nodded. "I'm sure."

"Then let's get this baby-making party started." Louis reached for the smaller pillows hiding behind their larger sleeping pillows. Harry used his hands to lift his bottom, and Louis slipped the pillows under. This had proven to give Louis a good angle when they decided to go with intercourse. Once Harry's middle was at a good height, Louis gently separated Harry's legs and climbed in between, kneeling and resting his own bottom on his heels.

Prepping Harry was always pretty easy, as his paralysed muscles put up little resistance. It was Harry's job to prep Louis, rubbing his hand up and down Louis' cock, getting him good and hard, then adding some lube for an easy entry.

Finally, Louis was able to wrap Harry's legs more or less around him--even though Harry couldn't feel it, Louis said he liked the touch--and slowly press inside Harry, taking his time.

They had been having sex with a condom since before Harry's accident. Never before had they been ready to introduce the possibility of Harry getting pregnant. Harry watched Louis closely, trying to gauge if intercourse was any different for Louis without the condom. He smiled at the look of ecstasy that bloomed on Louis' face.

"Oh my God," Louis moaned.

Harry smirked. "Is it amazing?"

Louis looked up and met Harry's gaze. "The friction…so good."

As he almost always did, Harry mourned the loss of sensation below his waist. He remembered what it felt like for Louis to fill him with his cock, then thrust in and out, often hitting Harry's prostate, making Harry jump and writhe, but those memories were fading with time. He had learned to take joy from Louis' pleasure and the pleasure Louis drew from him with kisses and touches above his waistline. There were never moments during sex when Louis' hands weren't touching Harry somewhere he could feel it. Every once in a blue moon, Louis hit one spot where Harry inexplicably had some sensation--but that was rare. He had learned to simply enjoy what he had--and to enjoy Louis' pleasure.

The friction must have been good because Louis upped his rhythm every few seconds, pushing in and out of Harry with greater and greater speed until he uttered, "I'm there," and then stilled, grunting as he spilled his seed deep inside of Harry.

When he was spent, Louis gently withdrew from Harry, moving to lay by his side as he usually did. A memory from his conversation with Dr. Newton the day she'd called with his test results made Harry say, "Wait."

Louis froze. "Is something wrong?"

Harry shook his head. "No. I just remembered Dr. Newton telling me that it might help me conceive if I tuck my legs up for ten minutes. Help me?"

With a smile, Louis said, "Absolutely." He course corrected and moved backwards on the bed so he could gather up Harry's legs and bend them so he was all tucked up. Harry brought his hands up to hold his knees in place, but Louis stayed there, too, resting his chin on Harry's knees. "Feel like you have a baby inside yet?"

Harry chuckled. "I think it's a little soon to tell. And we may need to try a few more times before it takes."

Louis grinned. "After that amazing experience, that will not be a problem."

                                    *                                  *                                  *

For a few weeks following that first baby-making attempt, Harry and Louis' sex life was even more full and satisfying than usual. They made time at least once a day, no matter how tired they were from their jobs, excited to perhaps be conceiving their first child.

In his fervour to find out whether or not their lovemaking had produced a baby, Harry purchased several pregnancy tests at the local Tesco, and he tested himself every few days. By week number three, the symbols for a negative test were becoming disheartening.

Not knowing what else they could do, he called Dr. Newton to ask her what she suggested they could do to increase their chances of getting a positive test result.

He could almost hear her smile over the phone as she said, "You need to stop and breathe, Harry. You didn't even decide you wanted to try getting pregnant until a month ago."

Harry sighed. "That's a good point."

"Stress can cause problems in conceiving," Dr. Newton went on. "You need to be relaxed. How often are you taking a pregnancy test?"

"Um…once every few days," he admitted.

"That's not helping," the doctor told him. "That is just adding to all the stress."

"We've been wanting this since we first got serious," Harry said, feeling she was a safe confidant. "And though I wasn't sure about having kids after my accident, Louis never stopped wanting that, even if I wasn't ready. I don't want to make him wait even longer."

"I can understand the feeling of urgency," Dr. Newton sympathised. "But you need to give yourself a break. It may take a little time here. Your body went through a serious change. Even though it was years ago, that still has an impact."

Harry drew in a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "I know."

"And it isn't just your stress level that's a factor. Louis' is, too."

Harry hadn't thought of that. "That makes sense."

"Why don't you two plan a trip? Go somewhere relaxing. Even if it's just for the weekend," Dr. Newton suggested. "No pregnancy tests, no pressure. Some time away can do wonders for a body."

"That's a good idea. I'll talk to Louis about that straight away," Harry promised.

"Harry, please remember that it may take a while to get pregnant," the doctor reminded him. "Try not to make sex a chore. And stop testing quite so often. You may sense when something has changed. Wait until then to take another test."

"Okay," he agreed. "Thanks so much for your help."

"I’m here for you both," Dr. Newton said. "Whatever you need."

"Thanks," Harry repeated. "Goodbye."

After ending the call, Harry squared his shoulders and packed up his things to go home from work. He had a conversation with Louis on his schedule for the evening, and he was more than ready to get to it.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

Two weeks later found them driving north to a bed and breakfast near Bath. It had been highly recommended for its accessibility, and it was far enough outside London to feel like a getaway, but not so far that they had to spend hours getting there.

Their accommodations did not disappoint. They were shown to a large, first floor room that had plenty of room for Harry to manoeuvre in and an accessible bathroom. It would be the perfect place to spend their long weekend. Harry had managed to shift all his Monday clients to different times, and Louis had cleared his schedule, too. They could focus on each other and on relaxing from the stress they were under from both work and baby-making.

Friday night they enjoyed a lovely dinner at a restaurant just a short distance from the bed and breakfast, then they retreated to their room for a movie on the telly and an early night.

Harry woke up the next morning to Louis tracing lazy patterns on his chest. With a smile, Harry stretched his arm and remarked, "This is a wake-up call I could get used to."

"It's about time you did wake up, sleepyhead," Louis said, matching Harry's smile. "I was about to check for signs of a coma."

"Nope, no coma," Harry concluded. "Just a really good night's sleep. This bed is really amazing."

"It is," Louis agreed. "Do you know what else I think it would be amazing for?"

"What?"

"A little sex," Louis stated, his smile turning into a mischievous grin. He left Harry's side to climb off the bed and rummage through his suitcase. He returned in short order with something in his hand. He opened it to reveal a condom. "I thought just for this weekend, we could just enjoy us. We can get back to the baby making soon enough."

Harry could not have loved Louis more than he did in this moment. "That does sound amazing."

In the warm, cosy bed, away from their busy daily lives, it felt like they had all the time in the world. They used it to take their time.

Before getting to the main event, Harry had Louis help him pile up all the pillows behind him so he could sit straight up. Then he reached for Louis and encouraged him to straddle his legs and line up his cock with Harry's mouth. He knew this was one of Louis' favourite things, so was unsurprised when Louis hustled to get in place.

Harry started out slow, wrapping his hand around the base of Louis' dick and pulling it toward him to lick the head. Louis moaned at the touch of Harry's tongue. Harry smiled as he began to take Louis' length into his mouth inch by inch. Halfway through, he teased him by pulling back far enough he could trace the underside of Louis' now-rock hard erection.

"Please, H," Louis begged, pushing himself forward in an attempt to encourage Harry to take him in again.

"Mmm," Harry hummed against the tip of Louis' cock. After a quick grin and a glance up to meet Louis' gaze, Harry acquiesced and sucked Louis back in, very nearly taking him base to tip.

Harry pulled out and in, out and in, and out and in with a rhythm that led Louis to throw back his head and moan with what Harry hoped was pure ecstasy. Harry could feel Louis trembling and knew Louis had to be close. At this point, Harry let Louis' dick go with a pop, and he reached for the condom Louis had set on the edge of the bed. Ripping the packet open, Harry unrolled it and slid it onto Louis. Once it was secure, Harry drew Louis into his mouth one more time to slick it up, ready for the second act of their session of lovemaking.

"I am not going to last long," Louis warned as he helped Harry scoot down and get situated with his bottom on a pillow.

"That's okay. After a rest we can go again."

As Louis got Harry's legs into place, he commented, "Looks like you're not going to last long, either."

Harry looked down and saw that his own cock was full and heavy. It didn't happen every time they had sex, but every once in a while, he achieved an erection. He couldn't feel it, of course, but if Louis timed things just right, he could make Harry come and the reflexive tightening of his muscles could help Louis finish. "Go, then," Harry urged.

Louis took Harry's dick in one hand while he used the other to guide his own into Harry's entrance. As he pushed in, he stroked Harry's cock with the same rhythm. Even though Harry felt nothing of any of this, he was hypnotised by watching Louis' actions and the joy on Louis' face.

Louis had been correct, Harry did not last long. After only a minute or two of ministrations, Harry came, the white streaks of come thin as they ran down Louis' hand. Harry even felt a little jump in his heart that was probably a remnant of his orgasm. A few seconds later, Louis came, too, groaning and pushing deep inside Harry before collapsing onto Harry's chest. Harry laced his hands behind Louis' neck and pulled him in for a kiss.

They lay entangled for a couple of minutes, recuperating from their efforts. Finally, Louis withdrew from Harry and took care of the condom before returning to the bed to help Harry off the pillows and onto his side.

Gathering Harry into his arms, then, Louis said, "This was a great idea. I'll have to send Dr. Newton a thank you card."

Harry chuckled. "I'll sign it, too."

"So, what now? Breakfast or rest up for Round Two?" Louis asked.

Harry only pondered the question for a moment before replying, "Let's really work up an appetite, take advantage of the breakfast part of bed and breakfast."

It was Louis' turn to chuckle. "I like the way you think, H. I'm in."

                                    *                                  *                                  *

The weekend away was a success. Harry and Louis both arrived back home a little more relaxed. They were definitely in tune with each other, too. Before they left the bed and breakfast where they'd spent almost one hundred percent of their getaway time, they promised each other that they would ease back into baby-making mode. If it happened, it happened, if it took time it took time.

They realised that since they had become focused on trying to conceive a baby they had been ignoring their friends. Two weeks after their weekend in Bath, they invited Niall and Liam over for some pizza, beer, and video games. It was nice every once in a while to just veg out.

Niall had been Harry's friend since secondary school, and Liam was a fellow songwriter Louis had met when he was first starting out. They were a quartet to reckon with. They'd discovered that Niall and Liam got on well with each other, and they all enjoyed hanging out together--it didn't even really matter what they did.

It was a great night. Between them, they devoured four pizzas and several six packs. Louis ruled with FIFA, while Niall beat them all in a Masters golf game. They talked about many mundane topics, and it was a welcome break for both Harry and Louis from work and baby-making.

Harry did question whether or not it was worth it when he woke up the next morning with a raging headache and a very queasy stomach. It was not often he asked for Louis' help transferring from bed to chair, but he asked for it then, afraid he would not otherwise make it to the toilet in time. Even with Louis' help, he only barely made it.

Louis grabbed a flannel and dampened it, holding it to the back of Harry's neck as Harry emptied the entire contents of his stomach--and then some. For a few moments, he thought he might expel his actual stomach, but then the nausea finally subsided. Gingerly, he sat up straight and tried to catch his breath.

"Hey, you okay?" Louis asked softly.

Just like his mother had taught him when he was young, Harry inhaled deeply through his nose, then exhaled slowly from his mouth. After a few repeats of this process, he was able to nod in answer to his husband's question. "I think so."

"You didn't even drink all that much last night," Louis pointed out as Harry moved to roll by him to get to the sink. "I drank way more, and I'm barely hungover."

Harry rinsed out his mouth with their shared minty mouthwash before responding. "I know. Must have been some combination of the pizza and the beer. Or I've caught some kind of stomach bug."

"Do you want to lay back down?" Louis inquired. "I could make you some tea and toast to settle your stomach."

"That sounds lovely," Harry said. "I can lay on the sofa and just find something relaxing to watch."

Louis led the way back into the bedroom. Both men pulled on sweatshirts, then Harry headed for the lounge, and Louis headed for the kitchen.

By the time Harry drank the tea and toast that Louis provided, he felt much better and chalked the nausea up to too much pizza and beer. The nausea didn't return after his small breakfast, and he was able to enjoy his Saturday, even if all they did was watch some footie and eat some food that was a little more healthy than pizza. He barely remembered that he'd started out the day with an upset stomach by the time they retired for the night.

The memory flooded back when he woke up nauseated on Sunday morning, forcing a repeat of Saturday morning.

When he was back on the sofa with a tea and toast breakfast for the second day in a row, he was truly puzzled. "We ate healthy yesterday, and I didn't even drink any alcohol," he recounted to Louis, who sat on the other end of the sofa, Harry's feet in his lap.

"Maybe it is some weird kind of stomach bug," Louis said. "If you're still feeling ill tomorrow, we should call the doctor. Maybe she can prescribe something."

Harry nodded. "Hopefully this is just leftover from Friday night. I'll take it easy today and hope for the best."

Just like the day before, the nausea didn't return during the day, but Harry stuck to his word anyway, taking it easy with some Netflix and bland food. As he went to bed Sunday night, he prayed he would not wake up Monday morning with some more nausea.

His prayer was not answered. Harry was at the toilet way before he was supposed to wake up for work, and he was on the phone with Dr. Chandler the moment her office opened, describing his symptoms and wondering if he might have caught a stomach bug. He had already called his work to tell them he needed the morning, and he was assured that his clients would be rescheduled.

"Did you take a pregnancy test?" Dr. Chandler asked. "What you're describing sounds more like morning sickness than a stomach bug."

"I couldn't be pregnant," Harry countered. He had never even considered trying another test. "We haven't had sex without a condom since my last negative test."

"But you've had sex?" the doctor checked.

Harry could feel a blush creep up his neck, and he was glad this wasn't a video call. "We have."

"Try a test," she suggested. "Call me back if it's not positive, and we can arrange an appointment."

Louis was sat at the kitchen table, sipping at some tea while he awaited the verdict from Dr. Chandler. "She thinks you might be pregnant?"

"She said this sounds like morning sickness," Harry relayed what the doctor had said, "but I don't see how it could be. We've been using a condom since the last negative test."

"Do you have any tests left?" Louis inquired.

Harry nodded. "Let me just finish my tea, then I'll go give it a go."

Fifteen minutes later found Harry peeing on a stick in the bathroom. He carried it back out into the bedroom so he and Louis could see the results together.

It was a very long five minutes. Louis distracted Harry by reciting some of the lyrics he'd come up with during his most recent session with Liam. They'd come up with the clever idea of using song titles as song lyrics, and he was excited about sharing the idea with Harry.

"That's going to be a great song," Harry remarked. "What are you going to call--" He was cut off by the timer on his mobile. Five minutes was up.

"Ready?" Louis asked.

Harry gripped the bottom of the stick in one hand and the cap on the top with the other. "Are you ready?"

Louis nodded. "One, two…."

"Three." Harry uncapped the lid and checked the readout. He blinked several times to make sure it really said what he thought it said.

PREGNANT. All in caps.

A grin bloomed on Louis' face. "We're having a baby!"

Harry couldn't figure out how it could be possible, but his grin was as big as Louis' as Louis pulled him in for a hug.

When Louis released him, Harry checked the stick one more time to be sure, then he met Louis' gaze. "We're having a baby."

                                    *                                  *                                  *

A trip to Dr. Newton two days later confirmed it. Harry was expecting. Her assumption was that during one of their recent playing-it-safe love making sessions the condom broke. Harry had been more relaxed, and they hadn't really been trying to conceive, so, of course, it had finally happened. He was about a month along--which made sense; he must have conceived up in Bath--and if he carried the baby to term, he would give birth in February. Harry and the baby would share a birthday month!

Harry and Louis knew their respective families would be thrilled to know a baby was on the way. However, they decided to wait to tell anyone until Harry was out of his first trimester. Hopefully nothing would happen to the baby, but they didn't want to jinx anything by spreading the news.

Fortunately, the morning sickness limited itself to the actual morning, so Harry didn't have to explain any sudden nausea to anyone. He never had been a huge drinker, so when he turned down drinks, saying he was trying to cut down, it didn't ring any alarm bells for anyone.

There wasn't much Harry needed to do differently from any other person who was pregnant. As the baby grew, there might be pressure on some of his organs that would need to be addressed with exercises, and well in advance of his due date he would need to have a solid birth plan. In the beginning, though, he and Louis could just enjoy the fact that they would finally have a baby of their own to love.

Dr. Newton wanted to see Harry every month for the first four months, then every two weeks thereafter. That first visit after she confirmed his pregnancy turned out to be very exciting. Harry was eight weeks pregnant, and it was time for his very first ultrasound.

Just as he had done on previous visits, Louis helped Harry onto the exam table, even though Dr. Newton's table was not all that high.

While she readied all her equipment, Dr. Newton asked, "So, Harry, how's it going?"

Harry was still settling himself on the raised back of the table as he answered, "It's going okay. I'm still nauseated almost every morning, but otherwise, I'm feeling good."

"Excellent. That nausea should subside as you get into your second trimester," she assured him.

"That's good," Harry said, "because that part isn't fun."

The doctor finished prepping her laptop and picked up her ultrasound wand. "Ready to get your first look at your little one?"

"Absolutely."

With a warning that the gel might be a little warm, Dr. Newton squeezed some onto his belly. That was right at his line of injury, so he could only partly feel the warmth of the gel as she began to move the wand around, trying to catch a glimpse of their baby.

"Look," she directed, pointing to her monitor. "There's your baby."

At first, Harry wasn't sure what he was looking for. Thankfully, the doctor clarified, pointing to a specific spot on the screen. "Do you see the white bean shape inside this dark circle? That's your baby."

The little bean had a spot right in the middle that was flashing. "Is that its heartbeat?" Harry questioned.

Dr. Newton smiled. "Indeed, it is. Would you like to hear it?"

"Yes, please," Harry and Louis said at virtually the same time.

The doctor typed something into her keyboard, then the room was filled with the sound of a racing heartbeat."

"It's so fast," Harry noted. "Is that normal?"

"I think it is," Louis remarked. "Isn't it, Doctor?" While this was Harry's first ultrasound during a pregnancy, he knew Louis had been to some with his mum when she was pregnant with Louis' younger siblings.

"It is," she confirmed. "Your baby looks great. Perfect size, heartbeat normal. I see nothing that indicates any problems at this point."

Harry and Louis heaved simultaneous sighs of relief.

"I'll print you out a couple photos," Dr. Newton offered. She pressed a few keys on her laptop and a nearby printer went into motion. Seconds later, she handed Louis a set of three photos.

"Our baby's first pictures," he said, tilting the photos so Harry could see.

The doctor lifted the wand from Harry's stomach and handed him a cloth to wipe off the leftover gel. "Everything looks like it's right on track. Do either of you have any questions?"

After Harry finished using the cloth, Louis took it to place in a nearby bin. Harry tugged his shirt back into place as he inquired, "Is there anything I need to watch out for?"

"Well, as the baby grows, there will definitely be more pressure on your organs. Pay attention to your body. You may need to alter some of your routines, particularly bathroom ones," the doctor warned.

Harry nodded. "I'm already noticing I need to pee more."

"That's very common with all pregnancies, so nothing to worry about there," Dr. Newton assured him.

"Anything else?" Harry wanted to know.

"That's the most important thing. Pay attention to your body," she repeated, "and don't hesitate to call me with any questions or concerns."

"Will he be able to feel the baby kick?" Louis piped up to ask.

Dr. Newton nodded. Meeting Harry's gaze, she said, "Given your level of injury, I expect you may be able to feel the baby kicking, depending on where it kicks you. Some areas might not register the sensation. That's still a long way off, though. First-timers usually start to feel the baby move twenty weeks in, so another three months."

"When can we find out the gender?" Harry wondered out loud.

"At about eighteen weeks, so just about two and a half months from now," the doctor reported.

"So we have a little time to decide whether we want to find out then or keep it a surprise," Harry remarked.

"Absolutely," Dr. Newton confirmed.

After a moment of silence, Louis looked over at Harry. "Anything else, love?"

"I can't think of anything," Harry replied.

With a smile, Dr. Newton reminded him, "Feel free to call if you think of anything."

Louis helped Harry off the table and back into his chair, where Harry said, "Thank you. Dr. Newton."

"You're very welcome. You're doing great. Keep it up." She shook both Harry and Louis' hands, then left to take care of her next patient.

Louis handed Harry the ultrasound photos so he could put them in his pack. Harry stared at the photo before moving to put them away. "It really seems real, doesn't it?"

"It does," Louis agreed. "I'm so relieved everything's on track. You really are doing a great job."

Harry blushed. "I hope it stays that way as the baby gets bigger."

"It will," Louis insisted, opening the exam room door for Harry to roll out. "I have absolute faith in you."

"No doubts?" Harry checked. "Not one?"

"Not a single one."

                                    *                                  *                                  *

The next four weeks were, thankfully, unremarkable. Except for the daily nausea, Harry felt fine. His stomach remained flat, so he wasn't pressured to tell anyone before he and Louis were ready. He was able to keep up with his usual schedule with little need for adjustment.

They each kept a copy of that first ultrasound on their night stand, just to remind themselves that despite Harry not showing yet, the baby was there--a part of them already.

Harry's twelve-week appointment went as well as the eight-week had, despite a sleepless night during which Harry imagined all kinds of things that could be wrong. When Dr. Newton called him on his puffy eyes, he admitted he'd been doing some Googling about pregnancy problems for people with a spinal cord injury. She told him to stop. There was no point in borrowing trouble. He might eventually have some complications, but he might just as easily not. He promised to stop--and Louis promised to remind him to stop.

Once Dr. Newton gave them new ultrasound photos and the all clear for the next four weeks, Harry and Louis asked her if it would be safe now to let their family and friends know they were expecting. She said Harry was definitely beyond any early pregnancy issues, so they could share the news whenever they were comfortable.

Now they just needed a plan.

They immediately nixed the idea of a phone call. This news was too important to deliver that way. Even a video call seemed like the wrong way to tell everyone about their impending arrival. The concept of visiting each of their families separately didn't appeal, either. If they could figure out a way, they wanted to tell everyone at the same time.

They were still trying to figure out the best way to get everyone in the same place at the same time when an opportunity presented itself.

Since Harry and Louis had met and become friends, their mums had been best friends themselves. Anne and Jay had discovered a lot in common, they were both single mums, they both had an appreciation for the outdoors, and their sons were falling in love. They were one big happy family in no time.

Anne called Harry to let him know she and Jay were coming down to London the following weekend for a mini-break. She wanted to meet up with Harry and Gemma and visit her grandson. Likewise, Jay called Louis expressing an interest in seeing him, Lottie, and Fizzy. The older two of Louis' younger siblings also lived in London.

The minute Louis and Harry informed each other of their respective mum's visit, they knew this was the opportunity they were looking for. Louis suggested to everyone that they meet up for brunch on Saturday morning, and everyone thought that was a great idea.

On Friday night, Harry channelled his nervous energy into baking a couple of quiches for their brunch the next day. He knew their families would be excited that a baby was on the way, but he still had a stomach of butterflies when he thought about actually telling them.

Anne, Gemma, and Sebastian arrived first; Michal had another engagement he couldn't get out of. Not long after they were all settled in the lounge and chatting about Sebastian's recent visit to the paediatrician, Jay, Lottie, and Fizzy arrived. They shifted the party into the dining room. Gemma helped Harry carry the quiches and some bakery shop croissants out of the kitchen while Louis took charge of the tea and mimosas. In no time at all, everyone was digging into the delicious food.

Harry and Louis hadn't really decided on the best way to tell their relatives that Harry was pregnant. They had agreed that Harry should be the one to drop the news, and they had discussed several different ways Harry could go about making the announcement. Harry had not really been drawn to one way over the others, eventually telling Louis he would just wing it.

As he cut pieces from his slice of broccoli quiche, Harry really wished he had a more solid plan. The butterflies were making it hard to eat. With copious gulps of both tea and water, he managed to make it through his meal. As Anne stood to try to clear off the table, Harry knew it was time.

"Mum, that can wait a second," Harry told her. "Louis and I have some news."

Eyebrows went up all around the table as Anne sat back down.

Harry let his gaze sweep across everyone before telling them, "Last night Louis and I talked about the best way to tell you our news."

"You're not moving, are you?" Lottie asked, somewhat horrified. "This is a great place."

Shaking his head, Harry assured her, "It is a great place. We're not moving."

Lottie sighed with relief.

Harry cleared his throat to continue. "Last April, Louis and I went over to Canary Wharf for lunch and some shopping."

"Are you starting some kind of new business?" Jay inquired, brimming with pre-excitement.

"No, Mum, it isn't that, either," Louis interjected.

"We saw a family there with their kids," Harry explained. "And it got us thinking. It got me thinking."

It took a few seconds, but then he heard his mum and Gemma gasp at almost exactly the same time."

"Harry, are you…?" Gemma trailed off, raising her eyebrows high in expectation that Harry would finish the thought for her.

Ever so slowly, Harry nodded. "I'm pregnant."

For a brief moment, there was dead silence. Harry's heart pounded and a pit dropped in his stomach. He didn't have time, however, to seriously worry that anyone was unhappy because almost as one everyone cheered. He felt instant relief.

Anne immediately got up to throw her arms around him. Into his ear, she whispered, "Congratulations, baby. I am so excited for you!"

For a couple of minutes, their dining room was transformed into a Hug Fest as everyone congratulated both Harry and Louis. When everybody reclaimed their seats, the Hug Fest became the Inquisition.

"When are you due?" Gemma got her inquiry in first.

"February," Harry answered. "My due date is the seventh."

Anne grinned. "If you're early, you might share your birthday."

"That would be fun," Harry said. When he was little, he would not have loved sharing his birthday, but sharing it with his baby son or daughter--that would be cool.

"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" Fizzy asked.

"Not yet," Louis told her. "The doctor said twenty weeks, and Harry's at thirteen, so it's a little while until we can find out."

"If we want to," Harry clarified, meeting Louis' gaze and smiling.

"If we want to," Louis concurred.

"Where will you put the baby?" Jay questioned.

This was a fair question. Their flat was not tiny, but they did only have two bedrooms. The extra bedroom was, at the moment, a guest room/office. Thankfully, they had discussed this.

"We're going to turn the guest bedroom into a nursery," Harry explained. "We'll swap the sofa in the lounge for a convertible sofa so someone could still spend the night if they wanted to."

Jay nodded. "That makes sense. Fortunately, there's also a hotel down the street that's not too pricey. The little one should definitely have their own room."

"At the beginning, though, we'll keep the baby in with us," Louis added. "That will make it a little easier for night time feedings and such." They'd discussed this, too, thinking that keeping the baby close would eliminate the need for Harry to transfer in and out of the bed multiple times during the night. Once the baby was a little older, he or she could be transitioned into the nursery.

"That also makes sense," Jay said. "It sounds like you're making all the right plans."

"Are you nervous?" Gemma posed her second question. "I know I was pretty freaked out at the thought of having a tiny baby I had to keep alive. To be honest, sometimes I'm still freaked out a little bit."

Harry nodded. "I'm definitely nervous. I lie awake at night imagining all the horrible things that could go wrong."

"That's why I'm around," Louis said. "To remind you that it's going to be great."

"It will be great," Anne predicted. "But that being nervous thing? It doesn't ever really go away, even when your children are grown and having their own children. The nervousness just mutates with every stage."

"True," Jay backed her up. "But it's very definitely worth it." She reached over and patted her eldest's--Louis'--knee.

"I'm so excited!" Lottie practically squealed. "We're all going to be aunties!"

Anne's smile was huge. "And grannies," she added.

The butterflies in Harry's stomach mutated just like his mum's nervousness. The light flutters were a sign of straight-up excitement. He and Louis were having a baby, and that baby would have so many people who loved him or her. He knew the pure joy he felt would be joined by other emotions--some happy, some not, but he'd revel in the pure joy while he could.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

Now that their families knew about the baby, Harry and Louis set about letting the other people in their lives know about it. Their friends were as excited as their families had been. Liam and Niall were especially thrilled by the idea of being honorary uncles. They had other friends with kids who were excited about the prospect of future play dates, and their friends who weren't parents were just happy that Louis and Harry were happy.

Harry's place of business reminded him of his paternity leave and assured him that whatever he needed, it would be his. Since the centre he worked at specialised in treating people with injuries similar to Harry's, it was not surprising that they would be understanding.

Every morning, Harry would wake up with the vague feeling that something exciting was going to be happening. A moment later, he would remember there was a baby--his and Louis' baby, to be precise--growing inside him. He would get that feeling that he would explode if he had to wait one minute longer to meet the baby. Finally, he would pull in a couple of deep breaths and transfer out of bed into his wheelchair to begin his day, reminding himself that the day of the baby's arrival was one day closer than it had been the day before. That would get him through the day.

At the end of August, Harry and Louis toasted to the start of Harry's fifteenth week of pregnancy. He was not yet showing, but the constant nausea was behind him, and he was aware of how close he was to the midway point of this baby-growing process.

The following morning was a Saturday, and Harry was happy to not have to set an alarm. He was awoken by the sensation of being watched. He blinked his eyes open to spy Louis staring intently at Harry's belly.

"Hey," Harry said, voice raspy from sleep.

Louis shifted his gaze long enough to smile at Harry and return his, "Hey."

Harry wrinkled his brow. "Did my stomach break out in spots?"

"No. Look!" Louis pointed at something Harry was clearly missing.

Harry raised himself up on his elbows to check out what had Louis so excited. Once he was up, he could see exactly what Louis was going on about. Harry's belly had popped. Where he had been flat the night before, there was a small mound. A baby bump.

Louis' hand hovered over the bump. "May I?"

"Sure."

Louis lowered his hand and ran it over the tiny hill. It happened to fall right at Harry's line of injury, so Harry could feel Louis' hand at the top of the mound, but not at the bottom. It was the weirdest feeling.

"Our first proof that there's a baby inside!" Louis exclaimed.

Harry chuckled darkly. "Oh, I can think of more evidence there's a baby inside."

"That's true," Louis conceded. "But I guess I mean incontrovertible physical evidence."

"Time for some paternity trousers," Harry said. He'd already shopped for some paternity clothes, knowing that he'd need them any day.

"You're going to look so amazing pregnant," Louis told him, grinning widely.

"I'm going to look like a whale," Harry countered. Quickly, he added, "It's all for a good cause."

"A very good cause," Louis agreed. He stroked Harry's belly again. "What do you think? Do you think it's a girl or a boy?"

Harry shrugged. "I'm not sure what I think. I guess I've been focused on just getting through all of these stages."

"Do you have a preference? Girl or boy?"

This time, Harry shook his head. "As long as it's healthy. What about you?"

"I have no real preference, either. I can imagine myself chasing either a boy or a girl around," Louis said.

"Do you think we should find out the gender ahead of time?" Harry asked. His elbows were getting tired, so he pulled himself up until he could rest his back against his pillows. "It's just a month until we can."

"I don't know. I can see advantages to both," Louis answered, shifting so he was cross-legged, his hand still within reach of Harry's bump. "If we found out, we could plan ahead and start getting some things we'll need. On the other hand, it's one of life's few true surprises. It could be fun to wait. We can certainly get enough neutral baby stuff for the very beginning. What do you think?"

"I had the same thoughts you did. I guess I'm leaning toward keeping it a secret," Harry told him.

"If that's what you want to do, I'm all for that," Louis said.

"Even once the baby's here's, I don't want to overdose on either pink or blue," Harry went on. "I'd like the baby to grow into whatever he or she feels like without pushing any gender stereotypes."

"I'm all for that, too," Louis assured him.

"It does mean we'll have to think of both kinds of names," Harry pointed out.

"I think we're up to that task. Google is a wonderful tool."

Harry twisted around to check outside the window. "Look at that. The sun's actually out." The last few weekends had been washouts, with nice weather only falling on weekdays. It had been very vexing.

Louis grinned. "It's a miracle."

"Maybe we can take the bump for a little walk," Harry suggested. "It would be fun to do a little shopping."

"Sounds good to me. You take the first shower, and I'll go get breakfast started." Louis climbed off the bed.

Harry shifted himself off the bed and into his wheelchair, straightening his feet on the rest. "Why don't we have breakfast out for a change? We might even find a place we could eat outside."

"You just don't want to eat my cooking," Louis groused, though he smiled, too, clearly not all that insulted.

Harry shot back a mischievous smile as he wheeled toward the bathroom. "Well…that's just a bonus."

                                    *                                  *                                  *

At first, the bump wasn't an issue when going about his daily routines, but as the baby got bigger, it did require Harry to make some adjustments--and ask for help a little more often. On those occasions, it was mostly a need for someone to "spot" him and make sure he didn't overbalance. His usual helper was Louis, and, thankfully, Louis never minded helping.

Harry would never had admitted it out loud to anyone, but he did worry whether or not there would be times when people questioned him getting pregnant. He knew he had questions about becoming a father with a physical disability; he assumed there would be others who had questions, too. In the early days of a visible bump, he was pleasantly surprised when that didn't happen.

His clients were all interested in his pregnancy, relating, of course, to him. Many of them had similar injuries and hoped one day to have children themselves.

One of his favourite clients--he knew he shouldn't have favourites, but he couldn't help it--was his last session of the day on Thursday. It was a young man, aged twenty-two, who was paralysed in a bicycle race just about six months earluer. He was struggling with having to rethink his self-identification as an athlete. To add to his troubles, his boyfriend had left him not long after the accident, unable to deal with this new reality. His name was Ryan.

They had a good conversation. Ryan was considering joining a wheelchair racing squad, though he was dubious that it would fill the void left when he was no longer able to bike. He was nowhere near ready to put himself out into the dating pool. He was still convinced no one would want him if he used a wheelchair. Harry tried to hold himself up as an example, but Ryan was unconvinced.

"You just got lucky," Ryan said.

"I did." Harry smiled. "But if I can get lucky, so can you."

"Tom couldn't even stick with me, and he knew me before," Ryan pointed out.

"If he wasn't willing to hang in there with you, he wasn't your person," Harry countered.

"How does it feel?" Ryan asked, throwing Harry with its vagueness.

"How does what feel?" Harry requested some clarification.

"Being pregnant," Ryan said.

Almost involuntarily, Harry put a hand on top of his baby bump. "Oh." He took a second to gather his thoughts. "It's good, for the most part."

"For the most part?"

"Well, I definitely have a lot of worries about having a baby. Some of them have to do with being in a chair, and some of them don’t," Harry explained. "But for the most part, it feels good."

"I always assumed I'd have a baby one day," Ryan admitted quietly. "Once I had the accident, I assumed I never would. Seeing you, though, has made me think about it again."

"You definitely shouldn't assume it's something you couldn't do, when the time was right," Harry confirmed. "I won't lie and tell you it was an easy decision, though. I also thought it wasn't something I could do--or even wanted to do."

"What made you change your mind?" Ryan wanted to know.

"People," Harry said. "My husband and my family. They all believed this was something I could do--if it was something I decided I wanted to try."

Ryan offered a small smile. "That's so great."

"Maybe that's why Tom isn't a part of your life anymore," Harry suggested. "Maybe you still need to find the person who's going to support you through all your decisions, whether they're big or small."

"You really think I can find someone like that?" Ryan still sounded sceptical.

Harry nodded vigorously. "I really do. You may not be ready right this second, but when you are ready, you'll just need to open yourself up to the possibilities."

Ryan pulled in a heavy sigh. "Will you be there to help me through it?"

With a smile, Harry told him, "That's why they pay me the big bucks."

"They do not pay you big bucks," Ryan said, his smile matching Harry's.

It was Harry's turn to sigh. "Okay, you're right, they don't. But I am here for you for as long as you need me to be."

"Thanks."

In his practiced nonchalant way, Harry checked the time on his mobile. "Our time is almost up. Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

Ryan took a moment to think about it, then shook his head. "Not this week."

Harry wheeled out from behind his desk to shake Ryan's hand and show him to the office door. "As always, if you need anything, just call or text me."

"I will." He paused before proceeding through the door. "I know I'll see you a good bit before, but good luck with the baby."

Harry could feel the smile creasing his cheeks at the same time as he felt a warmth spread through his chest. "Thanks. That means a lot."

Ryan wouldn't ever know quite how much.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

Going into month five meant Harry was looking decidedly pregnant and it meant more frequent trips to Dr. Newton. She said the baby was progressing perfectly, and that Harry seemed to be tolerating the pregnancy well.

Though the baby was active during ultrasounds, Harry had yet to feel the baby move. Dr. Newton said it could just be the baby not being big enough to make itself felt or it could be that Harry's injury was preventing him from feeling any movement. She told him he needed to be patient. At just the right time and just the right angle, he might well feel the baby moving. After all, there were still four months left to go.

Harry tried hard not to spend too much time lamenting the loss he'd suffered following the accident. He couldn't go back in time and change anything. There was nothing to do but work hard to get back as much as he could.

This was not to say he could just ignore his paralysis and go about his day-to-day life as if nothing had happened. There were considerations to make multiple times a day. If they were meeting friends for drinks, would they choose a bar he could get into easily? If the accessible tube station they lived near was out of operation, what were his options? Every transfer out of his wheelchair required mental presence or he might fall. He made all these efforts without thinking too much about being sad or angry about them.

When Week Twenty-Three came and he hadn't yet felt the baby kick--either from the inside or the outside--he did allow himself a rare moment of self-pity. This was a joyous moment that the accident had robbed him of. Once he pulled himself out of that moment, he was able to remind himself that the important thing was that the baby was healthy and growing. There would be plenty of chances to feel him or her move once they were born.

As the days passed into weeks, Harry began to focus less on feeling the baby move and more on managing his growing belly. The larger he became, the more awkward it became to move himself from place to place. It was not impossible by any means, but he definitely had to work a little harder.

Louis was great about continuing to spot him through those transitions--when he was around--ready to lend a steadying hand or a little lift.

Harry was just entering Week Twenty-Five at the beginning of a weekend during which they had almost nothing planned. He and Louis were both exhausted, so the thought of just hanging around the house and resting was immensely appealing. On the Friday, they decided to order in a pizza and find something fun to watch on Netflix.

As usual, Harry went to transfer to the sofa so he and Louis could cuddle. Also as usual, Louis reached out to help Harry steady himself with the unwieldy bump.

Once Harry was settled on the sofa, Louis rested his hand atop Harry's bump. His eyes instantly went wide, and he grabbed Harry's hand and placed it right where his own had been.

Harry was confused about just what Louis was doing. He was only confused for about a second. That's when he felt something move against his hand. He looked up at Louis, a slow grin growing on his face.

Louis nodded. "Either you have wicked indigestion or that is our baby saying hello."

It was the most amazing feeling. The baby was clearly having a party in Harry's belly, and though Harry could feel nothing from the inside, he definitely felt it from the outside. The little one kicked (or punched) hard enough for Harry (and Louis) to feel it for a good five minutes before the sensation faded away as the baby either got bored or fell asleep.

Even after the baby stopped moving, Harry kept his hand on his bump, though Louis let his slip off. "I had almost given up on getting to feel the baby move."

Louis' smile was as wide as Harry's. "No worries. We just had to wait for the peanut to get big enough to make an impact."

"I guess so." Harry registered Louis' word choice. "Did you just call our baby a peanut?"

"I did. Just seems more personal than 'baby,'" Louis explained.

Harry couldn't argue with that. "I kind of like it."

"Hey," Louis went on. "Who knows? Maybe next time, the peanut will kick in a completely different part of your belly and you'll feel it. He or she is getting bigger every day."

"I hope so," Harry wished. He paused for just a moment, then sighed wistfully. "I can't believe we're more than halfway through. Baby will be here in less than four months."

Louis shook his head. "That's amazing." He took his own pause, clearly mulling something over in his mind. Eventually, he said, "Maybe we should get cracking on the nursery."

Harry chuckled and raised his eyebrows. "Maybe. Maybe I'm far enough along it's safe to do that."

"We can start small, maybe just paint. Not that I think anything will happen, but we can choose a nice neutral colour we can use for anything," Louis suggested.

"That's a good idea," Harry agreed. "I don't want to push our luck here."

"Fair enough." Louis placed his hand right back next to Harry's on his baby bump. "That okay with you, peanut?"

It took a few seconds, but the baby dutifully kicked back its consent.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

Almost since they announced Harry was expecting, Harry and Louis' family and friends started talking about a potential baby shower for them. Gemma, in particular, was really into the idea of trying the latest trend from the U.S. During his first two trimesters, Harry was not inclined to agree to such an event, being too superstitious. Once he was a few weeks into his third trimester, he finally bowed to the pressure. Anne and Jay immediately got into planning mode, with Gemma assisting. They set a date for the Saturday Harry would be thirty-two weeks along.

Harry was now on an every other week schedule with Dr. Newton, and she assured him his pregnancy was progressing beautifully. The peanut--the moniker had stuck--was slightly smaller than average for his or her gestational age, but the doctor assured him that was nothing to be concerned about.

She had also suggested some birthing classes. As it turned out, she was able to recommend an instructor who had worked with clients with spinal cord injuries. That instructor would be able to guide them as Harry worked through preparing a plan for delivering the baby.

With the encouraging reports and plans underway about the labour and delivery, it was a good time to gather family and friends to celebrate the baby's impending arrival.

Gemma had offered to host the event at her place. It was a little bit bigger than Harry and Louis', and she didn't want them to feel obligated to do any extra cleaning or rearranging to have a party. All Harry and Louis had to do was show up ready to accept congratulations and gifts.

Harry hauled himself and his giant belly into his wheelchair on the Saturday morning, taking things as easy as he could. After a shower, a light breakfast, and a nap, he and Louis headed over to Gemma's, where the shower would start at noon.

Anne and Jay were already at Gemma's when Harry and Louis got there. All of Louis' sisters arrived together not long after that, their younger brother Ernest in tow. Liam and Niall had been invited, and a few of Harry's and Louis' friends just outside their tight social circle had come. It was a lovely group, and everyone was incredibly excited about the baby.

They played a few games Gemma had planned, and took a poll about whether they thought they would be having a boy or a girl (it was just about an even split), then they had a lunch of pasta and salad. Finally, it was time for presents.

Louis sat at Harry's side on Gemma's cushy love seat, while Lottie took on the job of writing everything down so they'd remember who got them what..

The very first present was from Phoebe and Daisy, who had pooled their resources to purchase a set of pastel coloured onesies--one purple, one green, one yellow. Harry teared up at the sight of them.

"Hey," Louis said softly, "You can't cry at every gift."

"But look, Louis. Look how tiny the baby will be." He laid the purple onesie over his bump. "We're going to have a teeny tiny baby."

Louis chuckled. Continuing to speak in a low voice, he noted, "I thought we'd established that with all the doctor appointments and that belly you've got going on."

"I don't know. I guess seeing how small the clothes are makes it seem very real," Harry tried to explain himself.

"It is real," Louis assured him. "And you're the reason it's really happening."

Harry smiled at Louis' words. Then his smile grew bigger and a little more mischievous. "Well, you helped, too."

"True," Louis agreed. "And I enjoyed helping quite a bit."

The sound of a few people clearing their throats loudly broke them out of the small bubble they'd been in for the last couple of minutes. It was Gemma who spoke for the people. "Before you continue down that line of thinking, there are teenagers present and a lot more gifts to open."

Harry wondered if the blush in his cheeks matched the one he spied growing on Louis' cheeks. He cleared his own throat and carefully folded up the onesies from Phoebe and Daisy, placing them back in the gift bag they'd come in. Then he picked up another gift.

"Who's this from?" Harry asked the group at large.

"Me!" Niall piped up.

Excellent. He doubted anything that was from Niall would make him cry. Except, perhaps, with laughter.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

A month before the baby was due, Dr. Newton suggested Harry start his leave from work. She wanted him on modified bed rest. His belly had grown quite large and cumbersome, and his back was giving him some trouble. He was uncomfortable enough that despite his usual independent streak, he was disinclined to argue with the doctor. Instead, he went to his boss and explained the situation. His boss was extremely understanding and divided his caseload among his colleagues.

Louis also made adjustments to his working life. He rescheduled all but a few of the writing sessions he had lined up. The rest were collaborations which could not be shuffled to another date. On those occasions, one of their friends or family members would come sit with Harry and help him with whatever he needed.

At first, it was kind of a relief to just be home and not have to worry about getting himself around with his enormous belly. It took a bit of hit and miss, but he eventually found decent positions both in their bed and on the sofa in the lounge. After making breakfast in the morning and delivering it to Harry in bed, Louis would help Harry go through his morning routine, then they would settle in the lounge to binge some of the shows they'd been meaning to watch for ages.

After a week, however, Harry grew bored. He was not used to quite this much downtime. He knew it was for a good cause. He wanted to give birth to a healthy baby with as few complications as possible. That said, he didn't like that his life had been reduced to sleep, eat, tv, nap, eat, tv, nap, eat, tv, sleep. He longed for something just a little bit different.

He was halfway through bed rest, on a Sunday, when Louis was sitting patiently on his side of the bed--scrolling through something on his mobile--waiting for Harry to wake up.

Harry moaned and gingerly flexed his shoulders.

Louis leaned down and kissed Harry's temple. "Good morning, sunshine." He reached a hand around to caress Harry's bump. "Good morning, peanut."

"You know it's way bigger than a peanut by now, don't you?" Harry's voice was raspy with the remnants of sleep.

"I hope so," Louis returned with a grin. "Or it won't fit into any of those sweet clothes we've got in the other room."

As Harry began the long and arduous process of moving into a seated position, Louis placed a hand in the small of Harry's back to offer support. Eventually, he was able to sit up, his aching back resting against a pile of pillows. He ran a hand over his belly, then looked over at Louis. "Just a couple more weeks."

"I can't wait to meet them," Louis said. "But after you have a moment to adjust, you need to get up and into something other than pyjamas."

Harry furrowed his brow. "Why?"

"It's a surprise."

Harry assumed that Louis wouldn't urge him out of bed if it wasn't for something important, so Harry went about transferring himself--and his bump--into his chair. He took a shower then Louis helped him get into some joggers and a paternity t-shirt which happened to still fit over his stomach.

Once he was ready per Louis' instructions, Harry thought Louis would surely be preparing breakfast, meaning either bagels or a bakery shop. pastry

When they got to the front of the house, however, they didn't make it all the way to the kitchen. Their progress was halted by Harry's surprise. Waiting in the lounge were his mother, Gemma, Michal, and Sebastian. As soon as the adults spotted him, they shouted, "Happy birthday!" Sebastian clapped form his place in his grandmother's arms.

Harry blinked a few times, taking in their words. Then he let his gaze drift over his family before landing on Louis' face. "Is it really my birthday?"

"Baby brain strikes again!" Gemma teased.

"Yes, love, it's your birthday," Louis responded. "I had a feeling that with everything going on, you might have overlooked it, but we didn't want to."

A smile bloomed on Harry's face. "Thanks." He looked back to his mum, sister, and brother-in-law. "Thanks, everyone."

"We've brought a birthday brunch," Anne told him, walking over to bend down and kiss his cheek. "Quiche and some breads, along with a salad."

"That sounds perfect," Harry told her.

"Why don't we head to the table and we can get everything out?" Anne went on to suggest.

Louis led the way to the table and in no time, a beautiful brunch was laid out. Anne and Gemma had gotten quiche Lorraine and a spinach quiche, along with a few different types of bread and a Caesar salad. They all settled at the table--with Sebastian in the high chair his uncles kept for him--and dug into the food.

"So, just a couple more weeks to go, yeah?" Michal asked. "Are you two getting excited?"

"I think we're focused on the birth right now," Louis answered. "It's hard to think past that." He looked over at Harry expectantly.

Harry nodded his agreement. "I'm definitely anxious about the birth. There are so many things to think about. When I can look past that, I'm excited about meeting the baby and starting this adventure."

"It's definitely an adventure," Gemma said. "Every day Sebastian does something new. It's pretty amazing." She reached over to hand Sebastian a bit of quiche they'd cut up for him. He ate it eagerly.

"I'm so happy this baby will already have a built-in playmate," Harry told her with a smile.

Gemma smiled back at him. "I'm pretty happy about that, too."

"Have you picked a name yet?" Anne wanted to know.

"We've got a list going that we add to every time we think of one," Harry replied. "I think we want to meet him or her and pick a name that suits them."

Anne smiled softly. "That makes a lot of sense. I know you'll choose something that's just right."

"Do you have everything you need?" Gemma inquired. "I have a pile I'm keeping for you as Sebastian grows out of things. There's a lot of stuff that's good for boys or girls." Gemma and Michal had also chosen to wait to find out their baby's gender, so they had a lot of stuff they got beforehand that was completely gender-neutral.

"I think we've got enough to get started," Louis fielded this question. "I'm sure as we go along we'll find there's things we're missing."

"With any luck, some of those things are in my pile," Gemma remarked.

"I know you've gotten lots of advice," Michal jumped in to say, "but definitely try to stock up on some sleep. Once the baby's here, you can kiss sleep goodbye."

Harry and Louis both nodded. "You're not the first person to suggest that," Harry said. "At least on bed rest I'm getting lots of rest."

"When he's not worrying," Louis added.

"When I'm not worrying," Harry conceded.

Anne was sitting close enough to wrap a hand around Harry's forearm. "I know there's a lot to be anxious about, H. But you two are going to be excellent parents. You'll figure it all out together, one day at a time. Just like your father and I did."

Harry smiled his thanks at her. "I hope so."

"And don't forget you have me and Michal for any questions you may have," Gemma remarked. "We've just gone through everything, and it's all very fresh in our minds."

"Oh, don't worry, Gem," Louis said, grinning widely. "We will be calling on you early and often."

Gemma grinned back at him, then shifted her gaze to include Harry. "You'd better."

A short while later, they finished brunch, and Anne and Michal insisted on doing all the clearing up while Harry and Louis got more quality time in with Gemma and their nephew.

Anne called for Louis while Louis was bouncing a giggling Sebastian on his knees. Louis handed the baby over to Harry and slipped off into the kitchen.

After just a couple of minutes, Anne and Michal reappeared and Anne cleared her throat to get Harry's attention. With a smile, she announced, "We have one more birthday surprise."

Harry barely had time to wonder what it could be when Louis rounded the corner into the dining room, a beautiful blue and green cake in his hands. Atop it was a neat row of candles, all flickering flames in the air.

"1…2…3," Louis began the countdown, then they all sang Happy Birthday--some more in tune than others. It didn't matter. It sounded wonderful to Harry. When they were done, Gemma took Sebastian from Harry, and Louis set the cake down for Harry to make a wish.

Harry rubbed his belly. This was the easiest wish to make ever. All he wanted was a beautiful, healthy baby. He blew out the candles all in one go.

As Anne began to pluck the candles from the cake in order to cut slices, Louis leaned down and gave Harry a quick peck on the lips. "Good birthday?" he whispered.

"The best," Harry whispered back.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

The night after his birthday, Harry woke suddenly in the middle of the night. Despite it being the start of February--true midwinter--he was sweating. He lay there for a moment trying to figure out what had woken him up. When what felt like a poke came along just a minute or two later, he figured that must have been it. He put his hand on the top of his bump, and the poke came again. It took another moment, but he finally figured out that the poke was his baby kicking him. Just when he'd figured he was never going to feel that.

"Is everything okay?" The voice out of nowhere made Harry jump. Louis must have sensed that Harry was awake.

Harry smiled. "Everything is fine. The baby woke me up."

Louis let out a little gasp. "You felt the baby?"

"I did. Right here." He used his free hand to reach for Louis', placing it right next to his own on his belly. Right on cue, the baby kicked again. "I know you've felt this going on for a while, but it's so amazing."

"It is amazing," Louis agreed, "and it hasn't gotten old. That's our little one in there, dancing up a storm."

"Maybe they'll play footie just like you," Harry commented.

"They've certainly got the strength." In the moonlight, Harry could see Louis' grin.

For the next short while, they just lay there side by side, their hands atop Harry's bump, feeling it as their baby partied inside. They stayed like that for a minute or two after the baby stopped.

"I don't know if I can go back to sleep," Harry said.

"I'm so glad it woke you up, and you got to feel that." Louis removed his hand from Harry's belly and moved to kiss his cheek.

"Me, too."

"You should try to get some sleep, though," Louis went on. "Got to keep up your strength."

"I know. Help me change position?" Harry requested. He'd fallen asleep on his back, but it was time to move onto his side.

"Of course." Louis gently helped Harry roll onto his side, then reached down to turn Harry's legs in the same direction. "How's that?"

Harry tugged just the sheet up over him, then snuggled into his pillow. Once he was settled, Louis wrapped his arms around him, spooning him. Despite the excitement, Harry fell asleep again pretty quickly.

He was woken up a couple of hours later by something that was definitely not the baby kicking.

This time he woke Louis up. "Louis!"

Louis shot straight up in bed, immediately wide awake. "What?"

"I think I'm in labour," Harry reported. The pain radiated from his back to his midsection, dulled a little in the spots where Harry had no sensation, but it was exactly the kind of pain his doctor had told him contractions would feel like.

"Are you okay on your side, or do you want to sit up more?" Louis asked.

"Sit up," Harry answered.

Louis assisted him in switching to a seated position. "Comfortable?"

"As comfortable as I can be with these pains." Harry grimaced as another sharp pain worked its way through his system. When it was over, he checked the bedside clock. It was a few minutes before six a.m. It was going to be a very long day.

"Why don't I time them to see how frequent they are, then we can see if we need to head to the hospital or not?" Louis suggested.

"Text Dr. Newton's office first," Harry reminded him. The doctor had wanted to be alerted as soon as Harry was in labour so she could meet them at the hospital.

Louis shot the doctor a text, then pulled up the timer app on his phone, ready to see how close Harry's contractions were.

Just over an hour later, Louis had helped Harry with a trip to the bathroom, and they had concluded that Harry's contractions were about thirteen minutes apart.

A ding from Louis' mobile alerted them that Dr. Newton's office had texted back. They said that unless the contractions had stopped, they should go ahead and head to the hospital. Dr. Newton would meet them there. Louis wrote back that the contractions had continued--and gave the time between--and that they would probably get to the hospital between eight and eight-thirty.

Harry allowed Louis to help him get dressed in a pair of joggers and an oversized sweatshirt, then Harry transferred gingerly into his wheelchair. He would not miss having to manoeuvre around his giant belly with every move he made.

Even though Harry was a little bit nauseated, Louis made him eat a piece of toast and drink some herbal tea so there would be at least a little food in his stomach. In solidarity, Louis ate some toast, too.

Finally, they got in the car to drive to the hospital. They arrived there at eight-twenty. Louis was pleased to have predicted the time of their arrival so closely.

They were expecting him when they got to the admitting desk, and Harry was shown to a private room where Louis and a nurse helped him get into the bed, a foetal monitor strapped to his exposed bump. Dr. Newton appeared not ten minutes after he was settled.

"Good morning, gentlemen," she greeted them. "So, I hear your baby has decided it's time to arrive."

"Two weeks early," Harry groaned.

"That happens," the doctor said. "Let's go ahead and get an ultrasound and check your dilation."

After considering all the options and doing a fair amount of research, Harry had decided that he wanted to try to give birth naturally. Dr. Newton had assured him that even given his disability, that should not be a problem, provided the baby was facing the right direction and his labour didn't stall. His injury was at just the right level that he should still be able to push, though the doctor would be ready to help the delivery along--if that became necessary.

A nurse brought in a portable ultrasound and in no time, Dr. Newton was guiding a wand over Harry's belly. "This looks very good, Harry. The baby has dropped and is head first. Let's check your dilation. If that's on target, I think we can go ahead with your birth plan."

Between Louis and the nurse, they got Harry's legs up and propped open enough that the doctor could do her exam. Harry felt nothing while she poked around and checked him, but he'd long since grown used to that. "Four centimetres already. This is looking just fine."

The nurse and Louis helped Harry back into a comfortable position, making sure the foetal monitor was doing its job.

"How long will it take before he can push?" Louis wanted to know.

"That all depends on how quickly labour progresses," Dr. Newton said. "Could be an hour or two, could be a few hours. Since some of the methods able-bodied people use to try to speed up labour aren't an option--"

"Like what?" Louis interrupted her to ask.

"Walking around, getting on the birthing ball," she elaborated.

"Ah," Louis said, nodding. "I'm sorry, you were saying…."

"No problem," she told him. Turning back to Harry, she said, "I can give you an IV treatment that might speed things up a little. If you like."

"I guess we can see how it goes." Harry scrunched up his face at another contraction. When he could catch his breath, he went on, "Is there a deadline for those meds?"

"Well, if you progress quickly, you won't need it, so there isn't a deadline per se," Dr. Newton explained. "I'll be back to check on you in about thirty minutes, and we can see where we are."

Harry nodded, pushing himself up a little to put more of his back against the pillows. "That sounds good."

"Don't hesitate to press the call button if you need me to come back sooner or if anything happens, and you need help," the doctor urged.

"Thanks," Harry said.

As Dr. Newton and the nurse who'd been assisting left the room, Louis asked, "So, how are you doing, H?"

"Well, this isn't the most comfortable I've ever been," Harry admitted, "but I'm hanging in there. I just hope this baby decides to come sooner rather than later."

It was now a reasonable time of day to contact their families and let them know the baby was on the way, so Louis got out his mobile. Anne, Jay, and Gemma said they would be there shortly to lend whatever support they could.

When Dr. Newton came in for her next check, Harry had dilated to five centimetres. "Halfway there," she noted.

At this point, Harry asked if he could move onto his side, as the labour was messing with his already pained back. As a team, they were able to resituate him. He breathed a sigh of relief when some of the pressure was off his back.

"You're doing such a great job, H," Louis said as soon as they were alone again. "I can't even imagine what you're going through right now. What can I do to help?"

"Maybe find a cool cloth and some ice chips?" Harry requested. "I feel really warm."

"Do you think you have a fever?" Louis furrowed his brow with concern.

Harry shook his head. "No. I think it's just being in labour."

With his own sigh of relief, Louis got up and went round to the nurses' station to get the items Harry had asked for. The nurses were able to provide those easily, and it wasn't long at all before Harry was munching on some ice chips while Louis held a damp, cool cloth to the back of Harry's neck.

"Ahh," Harry moaned. "That's much better."

In an effort to distract Harry from the discomfort of labour, Louis shared some of the stories his younger sisters had relayed to him in a recent phone call. They were all in secondary school or university, and they loved freaking Louis out by telling him about the boys they liked and the shenanigans they got up to.

When Dr. Newton returned again, she found Harry holding steady at five centimetres. She told them this was perfectly normal. She also noted that Harry's waters hadn't broken yet. She said if he was still at five centimetres the next time she came, she would break his waters for him, and this would likely speed up his labour. If that didn't work, she could put Harry on the IV meds she mentioned earlier, and that might do the trick.

Sure enough, the next time the doctor came, Harry was still at five centimetres and very frustrated with the lack of progress. After a nurse placed some pads under Harry's bottom, Dr. Newton went ahead and broke Harry's waters. Just as with the internal exam, Harry didn't really feel anything that was going on, but he did sense a little lessening of pressure, which was great. Anything to move this along….

While the nurse was getting Harry comfortable again--seated up once more--Dr. Newton explained that if Harry wasn't further dilated the next time she came, they could consider the meds. She was quick to add, "I do want to stress, though, that a slow labour isn't abnormal. Nor is it dangerous--not so long as the baby isn't in distress. It shows no signs of that, however. Just try to relax and go with it. Your baby will come soon enough."

These words served to calm Harry down. He had no way to gauge what was normal and what wasn't. He could deal with the discomfort and the slow dilation if that wasn't bad for the baby.

As Dr. Newton left the room this time, she crossed paths with Gemma, who was coming in. She smiled as she approached Harry, leaning forward to greet him with a kiss on the cheek.

"How's it going?" she asked as she straightened, sweeping her glance from Harry to Louis.

"Slow, but steady," Louis answered.

"Where's Sebastian?" Harry wondered aloud.

"With my next door neighbour until Michal can get home to take him," Gemma said. "She adores him, and I figured he'd be okay there if I came over to check on you."

"With any luck, he'll have a cousin soon," Harry went on. "A stubborn cousin who doesn't want to appear." He sighed heavily and struggled to move himself up.

Louis seemed to notice the move. "Do you want to stay sitting up or did you want to get back on your side?"

"Up, I think, but my back is killing me. Can you help me get it a little straighter?"

All it took was a little resituating of the pillows and a hand under Harry's bottom and Louis was able to get Harry a little more upright. "That better?"

"For the moment, yes," Harry affirmed.

Gemma set her handbag on the sofa in the corner of the room. "How far along are you?"

"Five centimetres," Harry reported. "The doctor just broke my waters, though, so that will hopefully speed things up."

"How long have you been in labour?" Gemma inquired.

Harry did some quick mental math. "Almost six hours."

Gemma chuckled. "You may have a way to go. I was in labour with Sebastian for almost seventeen hours."

Now that she mentioned it, Harry remembered that little detail. He shuddered. "I don't know if I can handle this for another eleven hours."

"Hopefully you won't have to," Louis jumped in. "But you'll get through it if it does take a while."

Heaving a great sigh, Harry said, "I guess I don't have a choice, do I?"

Gemma chuckled. "Not really. Babies have their own timetables."

For the next thirty minutes, Louis and Gemma kept up a steady stream of chatter while Harry rode through strengthening waves of contractions. He was aware that the pain he was feeling probably wasn't the full strength able-bodied people went through, and he was actually grateful. This level of strength was bad enough.

When the doctor came back to check on him, Gemma stepped out into the hall to call and check in with Michal, giving Harry some privacy.

Happily, the water-breaking did seem to have had an effect on his progress. With a pleased smile, Dr. Newton told him he had reached six centimetres. Just four more and he could begin to try pushing.

Once more, Harry requested a switch onto his side. Louis and the same nurse who had helped last time--Harry thought her name was Jenny--got Harry securely onto his side with the foetal monitor still in place.

No position was truly comfortable at this point, but Harry was very relieved that he was inching closer to being able to deliver this baby.

Gemma and Louis kept him company, and nurses helped him change his position as often as he wanted to, and over the next couple of hours he progressed to eight centimetres dilated, getting closer and closer to being allowed to push.

The doctor had just given that eight centimetre news when a surprise knocked on Harry's hospital room door. It was his mum and Louis' mum! Harry hadn't even known they were on their way, though he knew they would want to meet the baby as soon as they could.

Anne greeted him first--able to hug him since he was upright for the doctor's recent exam--then Jay took a turn.

As Anne and Jay stripped off their winter coats, Anne explained, "Gemma's been keeping us posted. As soon as Louis let me know you were in labour, I started to drive down, and I picked up Jay on the way."

"We're so glad we got here before the baby," Jay said, grinning.

"Baby is taking his or her own sweet time," Harry lamented.

Anne gave a knowing nod. "It will come in its own time."

Harry groaned, another pain crossing his midsection. When it passed, he rasped, "That's what Gemma said."

Anne wrapped her arm around Gemma's shoulders and squeezed. "I knew I raised her right."

"Now, we're not here to get in the way," Jay told them, flicking her gaze from Harry to Louis. "But we’re here to help in whatever way we can."

Louis smiled. "Thanks, Mum."

"What about food?" Jay went on. "Has anyone eaten?"

"Just tea and toast before we left for the hospital," Louis replied.

"It's lunch time," Anne said, falling right into Mum Mode. "Why don't Jay and I go fetch some food from whatever passes for a café here?"

"That would be great," Louis told her. "You know what I like. And a coffee with it would be fantastic."

"Same for me," Gemma put in.

"Harry?" Anne turned to her son. "Could you eat something?"

"I'm not terribly hungry," Harry said, "but I could do with a banana and some fizzy water."

"I think we can handle that." Anne grabbed her purse. "We'll be back in just a bit."

True to their word, Anne and Jay reappeared a short time later with some food and drinks, and they all tucked in hungrily. Even Harry managed to eat the whole banana they'd brought him; he even stole a chocolate button from the pack they'd brought Louis.

Dr. Newton timed her next visit just perfectly, arriving just as Anne and Jay were clearing all the trash from their makeshift midday meal. It had been about forty-five minutes since her last check-up. Anne, Jay, and Gemma slipped out of the room for this latest exam.

"Well, Harry, you appear to be at nine centimetres," the doctor announced just a short time later. "If you keep progressing this well, I think we can expect to have you start pushing within the hour."

This was the best news Harry had gotten all day.

Of course, this was when time began to crawl. His minutes became defined by whether or not there was any pain and who was speaking, trying to fill that time. All he wanted was to be allowed to push and try to get this baby out.

The conversation may have been surrounding him, but it did not involve him. Even so, it was an immense comfort to have the people he loved most in the world in the room with him. It made the pain tolerable and the mood lighter.

Just about a half an hour after she'd left. Dr. Newton returned for another check. Anne, Jay, and Gemma once again vacated the room. As the doctor performed the exam, a smile bloomed on her face. "Harry, you are fully dilated. Are you ready to have a baby?"

"Yes, I am," Harry replied, almost giddy with the thought that this baby would soon be out of him.

Louis slipped out of the room for a brief moment to let their mums and Gemma know what was going on. Upon his return to the room, he reported to Harry that the women had decided to go get fresh cups of tea. Louis would be able to find them in the waiting room after the baby had arrived.

Harry had long since shed his t-shirt as he'd been running so hot throughout his labour. A pair of nurses--Jenny and another called Lorna--helped Harry into a good birthing position. To give him the best possible leverage, he was sat as close to upright as his belly allowed. His feet were placed in stirrups with special leg support, which would help his legs to stay open.

Both Dr. Newton and their birthing class teacher had told Harry and Louis that the delivery could well be quick. Since Harry didn't have much sensation in his lower abdomen, that meant that the baby would not meet much resistance on the way out. Harry would push as much as he was able, and Dr. Newton would be ready with forceps should the baby need a little help.

Once the doctor was masked and gloved and sat on a stool at the end of the bed, she finally gave Harry the orders he'd been waiting for. "When you feel the next contraction, push!"

When the next pain rolled through, Harry bore down with all the muscles he had access to.

"Good job, Harry," Dr. Newton praised him. "Push just that way on the next one."

Harry scrabbled for Louis' hand when the pain came again. He squeezed hard as he worked to get the baby out, hoping Louis would forgive him for the lost blood circulation.

"I can see the head," the doctor said. "You're doing great, Harry."

"You really are, love," Louis concurred, kissing Harry's temple.

Harry continued to hold Louis' hand tight as he struggled to push through the next two contractions.

"Head's out!" Dr. Newton reported. "One or two more pushes, and your baby will be here."

"You can do it, H," Louis encouraged him.

At the start of the next contraction, Harry got a fresh hold on Louis' hand and pushed with all his might. He had to hope it was enough to get this delivery over with.

Enough it was. The next thing he heard was the cry of a baby.

"It's a girl!" Dr. Newton announced grandly. "Congratulations, gentlemen!"

After giving her a quick wipe-down, the doctor passed the baby through Harry's legs and Harry guided the little one to his chest, laying her down gently. She calmed as he rubbed her back and kissed her temple. "Hey there, peanut," he whispered. "We're so glad you're finally here."

Louis reached over to run the back of his finger down her impossibly small cheek. "She's so beautiful. You did an amazing job, Harry." He leaned down to press his lips to Harry.

Louis wasn't wrong, Harry decided. She was a beautiful baby. She had a small, upturned nose, a perfect bow for lips, and when she opened her eyelids, she revealed the deepest, darkest blue eyes. She had a pale blonde cap of hair, and when Harry checked, she had ten fingers and ten toes. She was perfect.

Dr. Newton had Louis cut the cord, then Harry and Louis had about a minute to drink in the sight of their newborn baby girl before an apologetic nurse said she needed to clean the baby and run some initial tests. Harry reluctantly handed her over.

While the nurses were tending to the baby, Dr. Newton helped Harry deliver the placenta. He could barely feel the contractions that came along to help this process, but his doctor was a pro, and she soon declared Harry done with labour and delivery.

In no time, Louis and Jenny were helping Harry readjust his position in bed, settling him into a seated position. A couple of minutes later, the nurse who had taken the baby returned, passing the tiny bundle to Louis. She had been put in a nappy and was wrapped in a white blanket with pink and blue trim. Atop her head was a soft white cap. Harry's heart melted at the sight of his husband with their small daughter tucked in his arms.

Dr. Newton rose from her stool. "We'll leave you to get acquainted with your little one. Congratulations again!"

"Thank you for everything, Dr. Newton," Harry told her, sparing her a polite glance and a wave before returning his gaze to Louis and the baby.

"I'll be back to check on you later." The doctor left the room, followed by the nurses.

The very recently expanded family was left alone.

Louis rocked the baby for a few more seconds, then Harry could stand it no longer. He made grabby hands, and Louis handed the baby back. Louis then hooked his foot around the leg of the nearest chair and pulled it right up to the side of the bed where he could reach the baby, gently stroking her arm.

"You really were amazing, H," Louis repeated his claim from earlier. "I know how worried you were to even get pregnant. Look what you did. You gave us this wonderful little girl."

Harry smiled softly, looking over into Louis' eyes for a brief moment before returning his attention to the newborn in his arms. "All of the anxiety and months of being uncomfortable were definitely worth it."

They watched her in silence for a couple of minutes, and she watched them, looking up at Harry with bleary eyes as if she was sussing him out.

Louis broke the quiet to say, "I guess we ought to give her a name, yeah?"

With a nod, Harry agreed. "That's probably a wise idea. I don’t think we can get away with calling her 'peanut' anymore."

"You're much more beautiful than a silly peanut, aren't you, love?" Louis cooed at the baby.

"I think I know what name on our list I think suits her best," Harry said.

"Which one?"

Harry rolled the name around in his brain for just a moment, then shared it with Louis. "Olivia."

"Olivia," Louis repeated, the smile on his face growing even wider. "I like it."

"You should do the middle name," Harry suggested.

Harry watched Louis' face, assuming Louis was running through the list of names they had discussed to see what he thought would work as a middle name. Finally, he nodded. "I think we should call her Olivia Anne."

This was unexpected. "Are you sure? After my mum? I already picked the first name."

"Your mum is Anne, Gemma's middle name is Anne, so this next generation should have Anne in her name," Louis explained.

While still holding tightly onto their newborn, Harry reached for the collar of Louis' shirt, pulling him in for a kiss. "I love you," he whispered when they parted.

"I love you, too," Louis returned.

"So, Olivia Anne," Harry tried out the name they'd chosen. "What do you think? Do you approve of your name?"

Olivia Anne gurgled and waved her hand around a little before settling it back onto Harry's hand.

Harry grinned. "I'll take that as a yes."

                                    *                                  *                                  *

Later That Night…

Louis was awed by his husband. For nine months, he had carried a baby in what was considered a high-risk pregnancy, then he'd gone through hours of labour and delivered their baby girl. He hadn't felt such joy since the day Harry had said yes to his marriage proposal.

Dr. Newton had Harry--and by extension, baby Olivia--for two nights, just to make sure there were no ill effects from his delivery. Louis was allowed to stay, too. They even brought in a cot so he wouldn't have to fit himself onto the sofa in Harry's room.

Just about exactly forty-eight hours after Olivia was born, Harry was discharged from the hospital, both he and Olivia given a clean bill of health. Louis carried their small bundle out to the car and strapped her into her car seat before supervising Harry's transfer into the passenger seat. Harry was still carrying a little extra weight, so transfers weren't quite as smooth as they had been pre-pregnancy. Fortunately, although it was a little slow going, Harry made it into the car with no problems.

Olivia was a champ during the short car ride, only fussing a little one time. Harry was able to reach back and stroke her arm to calm her down.

When they arrived home Harry very much wanted to be the one to carry Olivia in. Never wanting to deny Harry anything, once Harry was safely in his wheelchair, Louis carefully lifted Olivia from her car seat safely into Harry's arms. Louis pushed Harry's chair using the bar on the back, and with a little assist from Anne holding open the front door, they entered the house for the first time as a family of three.

In addition to their mums and Gemma, who had been there to meet Olivia right after she was born, Lottie had come to join the group, anxious to meet her very first niece. Gemma had also brought Sebastian to meet his very first cousin. Fortunately, Olivia was already proving to be happy enough to be passed from person to person, until she got hungry and demanded one of her dads provide some nutrition. Anne was happy to step in and heat a bottle of formula so Harry could feed her.

Louis wasn't sure it was exactly an even division of labour, but when Harry was done feeding Olivia, Louis changed her dirty nappy. Once that was done, he slid her into the hand-me-down portable bassinet they'd gotten from Gemma, and she dropped right off to sleep.

Jay and Anne worked together to make a simple tea of bangers and mash, then it was time for Gemma to get Sebastian home. Lottie went with her to spend the night. They all fussed over Olivia one more time before leaving.

Not long after that, Jay and Anne retired to the hotel up the road where they had checked in two nights before, promising to be back in the morning to see if Harry, Louis, and Olivia survived their first night on their own.

At last, Harry and Louis were truly alone with Olivia.

They took turns watching her sleep while the other took a shower. In what was serendipitous timing, Olivia waited until they were done to wake up to be changed and fed. This time, they switched roles. Louis got to feed her, and Harry got to test the low changing table they had installed in the nursery.

When this was done, they decided to just head to bed. Harry was still exhausted from the efforts of the week, and Louis well knew that it would be a long time before they saw a solid night's sleep. They needed to catch their rest when they could.

Though they had finished the nursery, they had decided to have the baby sleep in a bassinet right next to Harry--at least for the time being. Anne and Jay had gifted them with a bassinet that ran right up on the edge of the bed. It had wheels for easy movement and an opening for easy access to the baby.

Louis placed Olivia into the bassinet while Harry transferred into bed. When Harry was settled, Louis rolled the bassinet right up to the side of the bed where Harry would easily be able to pick Olivia up any time he wanted to.

Harry propped himself up, back straight up against the pillows, then reached down to pull Olivia into his arms, cuddling her close.

"That really was the best gift," Louis commented, climbing under the covers on his side of the bed. "It will make nights so much easier."

Harry nodded. "It really will."

The sight of Harry holding their baby girl was just about the best thing Louis had ever seen. Right after the accident, all of the focus had been on Harry's rehabilitation, and the years after had been about adjusting their relationship to their new reality. Louis had decided early on to wait until Harry was absolutely ready before they considered adding a pregnancy and then children to the mix.

As recently as a year ago, Louis had still been prepared to wait longer if Harry was still anxious about the prospect of carrying and having a baby. He could barely believe they were here now. Harry had successfully navigated a tricky pregnancy, and now they had beautiful Olivia.

"What?" Harry's voice interrupted his reverie.

Louis shook his head.

Harry smirked. "That look was not nothing."

With a smile, Louis explained, "I was just thinking about what a lucky girl Olivia is to have you as a father. You are already the best daddy around."

Blushing, Harry countered, "You're the best papa."

"I'm certainly going to try to be." As soon as the words were out, Louis couldn't help but yawn widely. The past few days were definitely catching up with him. Looking over at where Harry still held Olivia close, he said, "I am knackered."

The yawning was clearly contagious, as Harry yawned even more widely than Louis had. When he gazed back down at Olivia, he chuckled. "She's yawning, too. I suppose I should put her down and let us all get some sleep."

"That might be a good idea," Louis agreed.

Harry sighed. "I hate putting her down."

"I know," Louis said. "But I've got great news. She'll be here for at least the next eighteen years."

Chuckling again, Harry asked, "Do you promise?"

"I absolutely do."

With some reluctance, Harry lay Olivia down in her bassinet, covering her with a yellow blanket Lottie had gotten for her. He turned off the lamp on his bedside table, then began the process of scooting himself down and onto his side for sleeping. Louis took care of the light on his side, then snuggled under the duvet himself.

The moment he was able, Louis wrapped Harry up in his arms, kissing Harry's shoulder as he did so. "Thank you," he whispered.

"For what?"

"For Olivia."

"Well, thank you," Harry returned.

"For what?"

"For waiting for me to be ready."

In the dark, Louis smiled. "It was nothing."

"No, Louis. It was everything."

End (3 June 2021)