happy thanksgiving

[notsocommon]

Thanksgiving was not a holiday that Helen really celebrated outside of food and drink with close friends and this year, she'd been with just Will when the labor pains had started up in earnest. She'd ignored them for a while, considering it was common enough this late in pregnancy to have some false labor but when the pain seemed to get sharp and real and the contractions worryingly close, she and Will made the trek to the clinic and luckily found Dr. McCoy, who was happy enough to deliver a baby (for a given description of happy, anyway).

It was only after the hard part was done (and they'd both slept a handful of hours, to boot) that she felt comfortable enough sending Will out to tell everyone the baby had come and felt up to entertaining company.

[[OOC: This is timed anywhere from morning to afternoon on November 23rd in the clinic.]]

Comments

[haolehothead]

"You know, as much as I don't want that much of an age difference between kids, I..." he trails off, clearing his throat because he doesn't know that he can talk about this with the wound in his torso still stinging so badly and Esther's presence still giving him nightmares. "I don't know, I'd do it, but it'd be hard."

[notsocommon]

"I think anyone who knows you know that you would do anything necessary, Danny. As it is, I hope it isn't an issue that comes up for you any time soon. Gregory will be glad to have an uncle, as it is."

Helen smiled, somewhat soft. "And if it makes you uncomfortable, I take no offense in you keeping your distance. You just went through a horrible thing."

[haolehothead]

"I'm already Uncle Danny to half the island, what's one more?" he jokes softly, grateful for every time that he gets to imagine hearing that name. "Besides, I got three sisters and a brother back home. I miss hearing 'Uncle Danny', I really do."

[notsocommon]

"Well, that's what Gregory shall call you," Helen said, already decided upon the matter.

"And I'm certain you and Will are going to have the time of your lives trying to teach this child baseball. Did you know Will's already picked out little baseball outfits for him to wear? Before he was born, even. It's ridiculous and adorable at the same time."

[haolehothead]

"I'm not gonna intrude on a father teaching his kid how to play a great game," Danny promises, though he's beaming like an idiot at the thought of getting to possibly start up a little league. "Grace never really took to baseball. Now, football..." he says, ignoring the part where Rachel had been trying like hell to get her into tennis, of all things.

[notsocommon]

"Football, then. You are completely in charge of it," Helen said, beaming bright. "He'll be the most well-rounded athlete the island's ever seen. Although, I do hope he'll have time for a few other pursuits, yes?"

[haolehothead]

"Yeah, yeah, I wouldn't let him live without having a couple intellectual surprises up his sleeve," Danny promises with an easy grin, and considering the kid's parents, there's no way he won't be a genius. "He'll be taking over Council before you know it."

[notsocommon]

"This is entirely mother's bias but I think he'll be brilliant at anything, if he puts his mind to it. Every mother thinks that about her child, though, and it's been so long since I had a baby. I feel like it's the first time all over again."

In some ways it was, the differences in Ashley's rearing to how Gregory's would be, but in others, Helen hoped to drift into familiar habits once again.

[haolehothead]

"I'm glad you're getting the second chance," Danny says, as much as it pains him to say to someone else -- and to believe it, given that he's still filled with doubt after Esther and what she did to him. "You deserve it. You both do."