Chapter Text
“Dom. Just hold her properly “ Rhea was glad her lungs worked now, but all this crying could be avoided.
“I am” Dom said resigned as he rocked her.
“Not like that Dom” and he just groaned. “Put her head on your shoulder and not your arm” she tried to guide his arms.
Louisa screamed louder.
“You take her” Dom said exasperated. “I can’t do this” Rhea took her quickly. Dom just handed her over like he was holding a hot potato.
“Dom” Rhea said because she couldn’t believe what he just did.
Dom bent his head. Two of his hands covering his face. Then his shoulders began to shake.
“Dom” she said softly. Emphatic. She rubbed his shoulder.
“I can’t” he sobbed.
A crying baby and a crying boyfriend. It wasn’t nice.
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“How has it been?”
Rhea had to stop and think about that. Being asked over the phone and in text she, well everyone would just respond with ‘fine’.
It was hard being a first time parent. And things with Dom as usual. Rey was the one to ask that question. The one who had no problem saying what he thought about their relationship.
The one who was over more than she’d like.
He could make Dom happy far easier than she could. And she just watched.
It was hard. They hadn’t functioned since they came back from the hospital. That very day.
Now, she just thought back to everything Rey said. ‘Too fast’.
“It was a mistake” She blurted out.
“What was?” Dom came out of nowhere.
She looked at Rey, then back at Dom. “You tell me”.
Dom scowled and she stood defiant. She didn’t care that Rey was there. He was always there to witness this, wasn’t he?
“Screw you Rhea!” Dom turned and marched out the kitchen.
“Dom!!” his dad didn’t like that.
“Maybe if I was getting fucked, it’d be easier to put up with you” she jeered.
She made Rey’s jaw drop.
“Fuck you!” Dom screamed.
“I’m practically begging at this point Dom!” Rhea screamed back.
There was no answering retort.
Rhea sighed and turned to Rey. A bit sheepish. “Sorry you had to see that”.
“Uh-yeah”.
“Do you still want tea?”
Rey just nodded.
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“I’m pregnant” JD said solemnly.
Dom was lucky he wasn’t holding anything because he might have dropped it or squeezed it. “What?” Dom asked aghast and in a feathery whisper.
“I’m pregnant. Along four months” JD said grimly.
They were seated on the front porch. Dom had to look over his shoulder to make sure they were alone
“How in the world-what is...”
“I know what it’s like. I’ve gone through it before. I haven’t had a heat in three months” he sighed and placed his chin on his knee.
“Just...how?” Dom was beyond shocked.
“I can’t do it Dom” he said gravelly. “Went through it once and I can’t again. I just can’t”.
Dom had to hold him and hug him because he had never seen his friend like this. He was sure ever. Only a handful of times, but not so...not to this extend. So dispirited and just...so unlike himself.
“I don’t want it” JD said forceful. “You have to help me Dom” he begged.
“I will” Dom promised and placed a hand on the back of JD’s head. Trying to get him to mimic his breathing pattern.
JD nodded against his shoulder.
“Just...who-who is the father?”
JD went cold and still.
Dom thought he didn’t hear him. So he wanted to ask again.
“I don’t know” he muttered.
Dom went still too.
Well that was something.
A lot.
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“I honestly feel like I’m doing this myself and you’re just all preoccupied with being sad and enjoying the pity party everyone is throwing you”.
Dom looked offended. “What?” he gasped.
“I’m doing this myself. And all you do is cry and then hand her over to me”.
“This is what-this is April all over again. I’m just supposed to-“
“Oh God Dom! You’re going to pull that?” Rhea said resigned.
“Yes I am. You want me to ignore that she literally just fell into our arms. There are things that I’m going through right now, every waking day that even I don’t understand and I can’t even figure that out or get over it, but you’re mad over a kid that we didn’t plan for, something that we didn’t even plan for. Something I didn’t want!”
“Dom!” Rhea snapped.
“Don’t yell at me! You didn’t even want her too-“
“But she’s here Dom. I’m stressed too. I’m tired. It can’t be compared to what you’ve been and are going through, but someone has to step up. Acting like you wouldn’t benefit anyone”.
“Sorry” Dom said exasperated. “Did you expect everything to be Peaches and cream after? It wouldn’t just magically change. I didn’t want a baby then. I don’t want one now” Dom divulged.
“You yourself claimed it was a mistake. Which one? Bonding or her? Her being here doesn’t change how I feel. I don’t want her!!” he growled.
Rhea turned away from him with a harsh sigh. “You don’t want her then” her hands were pulling on the roots of her hair.
“Rhea?” Dom called after her, but she was walking towards the door.
“Rhea” he said appeasing, but she already stepped out. Slamming the door shut.
A piercing cry rang through the silence and Dom crumbled to the floor.
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JD didn’t look so good these days, or maybe no one noticed. He even looked worse as they were in the waiting area of the clinic.
JD looked so pale. He’d even say feverish. Like he was about to shake out of his skin. He held his hand and it was all clammy.
They made sure to dress as inconspicuous as possible. Seeing as they were popular names. If pictures of them made the Internet of them here...
“Jordan” a nurse called his name and they went together.
He listened attentively. JD was four months along, so his option was surgery. He talked extensively about the procedure, risks and health factors.
Dom listened but couldn’t take his eyes off the brochure on the doctor’s desk. The same he had seen in the waiting area.
“Can I?” he mouthed to the doctor already in the process of standing up.
She nodded and focused back on JD.
Dom let go of JD and took it from her desk. He sat back down to read. Completely getting absorbed in it.
“...I’d suggest you think more about this. Have you had your ultrasound yet?”
“No-I have already made my decision” JD stood up. “That won’t be necessary”.
Dom stood up too and made to follow, but he stopped and turned back to the doctor.
“I have an enquiry” he said feathery.
She motioned for him to go on.
“Are-hmm-having ones tubes tied? Is it reversible?”
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“Hello. Is this the Mysterio residence?” an unfamiliar voice asked over the landline.
“Mysterio-Ripley” Rhea answered. “Who am I speaking with?”
“The family doctor. George speaking. I have been trying to contact Dominik but he never replied. He never came back for a follow-up exam after his episode”.
“What?!” she asked sharply.
“His hormonal imbalance. He’s still taking medication for that. The test results shows that Dominik has been using different suppressant medication. One that has been discontinued”.
“What?” Rhea glowered.
She heard the little pitter-patter of feet. Esmerelda was up and about. So if she was moving, that meant Dom was too.
She didn’t wait long. Dom came down the stairs. Holding Louisa in his arms. She was already feeding. Esmerelda happily jumping at his legs.
“Yes. I have no idea how he got it. Though it had fast results and was potent, the side effects. Not only were they addictive, but messed up the body chemistry. An irregular heat cycle, sporadic mood changes, weight gain and loss, lactation, loss of control of bodily functions...”
Rhea just directed her gaze to him as he stood before her in front of the island. Taking one bowl of granola.
“...has he been having those symptoms-“
“Oh yes!”
Dom looked back at her. “I just got down. Can I have a few more minutes before you bitch at me?” Dom said sourly.
“He should come in then”.
“A bit too late for that”.
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“You aren’t going anywhere!” Rhea was adamant as she stood in front of their bedroom door.
“Rhea please-“
“No!” She hissed. “I’m not your babysitter and I won’t be. Lately, it feels you’re just dumping her on me. I need help too Dominik” she said honest.
“I’m not-it's just that JD-“
“JD! Yeah. Your actual girlfriend!” she forced a laugh.
“No” he argued. “He’s going through a lot-“
“And we aren’t?” she asked bluntly. “You won’t even try here, but you’ll drop everything for JD? What is your damn-“
“He’s pregnant” Dom blurted out and slapped his mouth shut with a hand.
Rhea looked at him with huge eyes.
“Crap. Don’t tell anyone!” Dom exclaimed.
“Is it Damian’s?” she whispered.
Dom hadn’t thought about the possibility till just now.
“Well shit” Dom sighed.
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“Your blood pressure Mr. Devlin. I can’t in good conscience perform this procedure. You are borderline hypertensive. I can’t take that risk”.
Dom was sure he had never seen JD cry. Hurt? Yes. Sad, angry, absolutely. But cry. This was alien. He had never...he didn’t know what to do.
He held JD tight in his arms as he screamed into his chest.
His heart hurt.
He turned to the doctor. “He might not be of sound mind, but I am”.
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Dom ran to the front door and was just about to open it, when it opened from the outside. He almost ran into the stroller.
“Oh! Thank God!” Dom exclaimed instantly relieved.
“What happened?” Rhea gestured for him to move back so she could come in fully.
“I woke up and didn’t see you...didn’t see her” he reached in and picked her up. Holding her the way he usually did. Like he didn’t want her getting close. So he was being detached.
“You were asleep. Didn’t want to wake you. We went for a walk” at least he cared. It did something to her heart. That he was worried.
“Could have texted or left a note” he said with irony.
“I thought you’d appreciate it. Since you don’t like her being around you” she said in retaliation.
“Don’t talk like that” he walked to the living room and sat on the couch.
Rhea followed.
Esmerelda ran into the room, jumping onto the white couch.
“She feels that connection with you. The one that she had before she was born. She knows when you’re close, she knows when you hold her. She just wants to be close to her father Dom” Rhea said hopefully. Praying that he’d understand finally.
Both of them didn’t want this, but they had to make the best of it.
“Ponder on that”.
Dom didn’t look at her.
She sighed and set about to put the stroller and diaper bag away. As she pushed the stroller to the game room, she looked back on their encounter at the door.
Dom’s eyes had been red.
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“Dom! Dom!” Rhea screamed as she shook him. He had said he was going to rest and she had stayed down. Only for her to come up to see Dom passed out.
She wouldn’t have been too bothered if she didn’t see a syringe clutched in Dom’s hand.
Esmerelda was barking nonstop.
Louisa cried, voicing her fear and displeasure.
“What did you do?!?” She shook him harder, but still nothing.
She reached for the phone on his nightstand and when she came back over him, his eyes were open.
Red, tired and angry but still open.
She fell on him, hugging him.
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“I figured that you were up to the same-well shenanigans. It has happened before” her voice was cool.
“You’re not mad?” JD asked carefully. So unlike himself. Actually measuring his words so nothing would slip out and be taken the wrong way.
“You couldn’t do much worse” his mum laughed. “So?”
“So...?” he didn’t know what question was asked.
“You know what you’re going to do next” she said matter of fact. “Your only option. The right option” she said cloying.
JD blinked perturbed. “You mean what you want me to do?” he asked bluntly.
“Good boy” she patted his head.
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“Please Rhea. It’s not what it looks like” he begged. The brochure from the clinic on the floor.
Hugging her was the only way she’d stand and listen to him. And he was already halfway to his knees so her movement was restricted. She was tipped forward a bit.
“JD wanted to-I followed but I swear I didn’t do anything. I thought about it but...it’s bad but I swear to you-please” he cried.
Tears going down the side since his head was tilted up.
“Let go of me Dom” Rhea was cold. She was mad. “Just you considering...working on it you tell everyone and you couldn’t even...it’s like you saying I’m trying to get you pregnant again!!” She snarled. "This is April all over again!!"
“Let go of me!” Rhea hissed and struggled for real. His arms slid to her middle and he buried his face in her stomach.
“No. No. No” he shook his head wildly.
“It looks bad yes, but we can fix it. We always do-“ Rhea was pulling at his hair to get him off, but his arms were locked.
“I can swear to you, I can swear on my dad I wasn’t going to do anything. I just had it because...it’s bad, but I’m begging you not to leave”.
Her hand tightened in his hair, tilting his head to look him in the eye.
“Don’t leave me” he said small.
“Please” he croaked. “If you do I’ll die” Dom was trembling now.
“Dom” she hissed.
“I will” he hiccupped. “And what’ll happen to Louisa?”
“Dom. Calm down” she cupped his cheeks.
“I can’t do this without you” he said faintly, and as he went down, so did Rhea.