Prescott's three week checkup

[Brooke Parker]

There were a hundred reasons why Brooke hated these stupid once a week checkups for her darling son. One reason being that they were always on Thursdays and she always had to take the day off. Sure it'd only been three days but she hated taking time off of work but Prescott's health came above everything even work so she was once again sitting in the waiting room holding her newborn close to her body so the germ infested children running around wouldn't risk his health. Today was a big day for her little man! He was going to be getting his first round of shots which was nerve-racking. He wasn't protected against diseases!

"Shh.. Shh. Baby...." She cooed as she tried to settle him back down. He had just gotten off of her boob so she knew that he wasn't fussing because he was hungry... What was the problem with him? "Prescott... Honey, it's okay! Mommy isn't going to let any of these dirty little monsters hurt your fragile immune system." She pecked him gently on the top of the head and started stroking his soft newborn hair.

Brooke loved her son more than she loved life itself but other peoples children? Yeah, she thought that they were loud sticky monsters who needed to just be caged up. When was the stupid doctor going to be able to see them? She felt like she had been waiting in the lobby for the most three and a half hours even though it had probably only been about fifteen minutes. Her postpartum body looked surprisingly great. She'd been wearing Prescott in a sling on her chest so she could work out whole he was close to her napping and it was really showing. Her stomach wasn't completely flat but thanks for an extremely tight belly binder, she looked like she did before she even got pregnant with the clothes on! She was wearing a pair of slimming black pants, a red see through blouse with a matching camisole underneath and a pair of black pumps which were killer on her poor feet but they looked amazing.

[Kasten Hunter]

Working in the medical field would certainly bring the big bucks home, which was exactly why Kasten chose it. However, he was 24 now and going to a university full of snobby 18-year-olds with their brand new cars and rich parents just wasn't his cup of tea. He preferred to attend a small institute where he had hands-on learning rather than four years of "basics" that Kasten thought were a complete waste of time. Who really gave a crap about Shakespeare in the hospital, anyway?

Since he couldn't get a hold of the receptionist, Kasten decided that it was best if he showed up in person to ask for a job. In just six months, Kasten skipped over his classmates and became a registered medical assistant before the course was even finished. In addition to his paycheck from the military, this job would definitely help his savings account greatly. You never know when you might need a little extra money.

Kasten came directly from class, so he was still in his teal scrubs (it was uniform, so he didn't get to choose a manlier color) with a white long sleeve underneath to conceal his tattoos. After speaking with the girl at the front desk, she asked him to please take a seat and fill out some forms, which he did--right next to some lunatic lady who held her baby like Gollum and his precious from Lord of the Rings.

Great. The pen the receptionist gave him didn't even work and he really didn't feel like walking back up there and dodging these crazy devil-spawns that were running around like mad. If he wasn't so desperate for a job, Kasten would never consider this place.

"Excuse me. I'm sorry, but do you happen to have a pen? One that actually works?" he asked, scribbling invisible lines to prove his point. When he finally turned to look at her, it was like his brain decided to shut down at that very moment because he just froze. He didn't blink, he didn't move--hell, he wasn't even breathing! "Brooke?"

[Brooke Parker]

Brooke wasn't even looking at the man who sat beside her simply because she was too focused on holding her darling son and keeping him from coming into contact with anyone who could give him so much as a sniffle. She still didn't look up even as he asked for a pen.. His voice sounded awfully familiar but she just assumed that it was her mind playing tricks on her. She'd believed that she had found him a thousand times during her pregnancy and it was hard for her to think that now would be any different until he said her name... How would some random guy know her name?

“Kasten... Hi.” She whispered as she glanced down at their son, could he tell that he was his? Was there some magical unspoken connection between the two? Fathers and sons were suppose to have this great bond but when did it begin? Was it something that happened before or after they knew that they were related? “Um.. Yeah, I have a pen.” She dug through her purse and handed him a pen that would actually work. “Um.... This is Prescott Rhett....” She paused and tried to think of something to say. How do you tell someone that you had their baby and didn't even tell them that you were pregnant?

“Hunter. His last name is Hunter.” She thought that would make it very clear that it was his child and if that didn't work... Well she continued on and tried to make the situation at least a little better. “I tried to tell you after I found out but I couldn't find you and we didn't exchange numbers. He's three weeks old as of Monday if you were wondering but we're doing just fine on our own so don't think that I need you. If you want to be involved then you can be but I'm not going to sit over here and beg you to help me raise our son.” She put emphasis on 'our' in hopes that he would see that being there for them was the right thing to do.

It was his climax that got them into trouble in the first place!

Prescott was starting to whimper and fuss as he dug his face into the soft fabric of her blouse. “Baby... Want your paci?” She cooed affectionately as she reached into the diaper bag and pulled out his favorite blue pacifier. It was probably a bad idea for him to depend on that to sooth him but it worked and that was all that mattered when it came to precious newborns especially precious newborns who cried all day long. “He's a pretty chill baby usually though, Kasten.” She realized in an instant that she would have normally called him Kassie Wassie and now thinking those words felt wrong...

Guess things had changed more than she thought possible.

[Kasten Hunter]

Kasten was just about to smile at her and tell her how good it was to see her again. He was going ask her how she'd been since he didn't get a chance to last time and he was definitely going to ask her why in the world was she in a pediatrician's office. Instead, Brooke beat him to it and after everything she'd said, the only thing Kasten managed to get out was, "Oh my God."

Glancing from her face to the little bundle in her arms and back, he was speechless. He didn't reach for the pen that Brooke offered him, but he stood up instead. Kasten walked to the other side of the room in hopes of calming himself but how could you be calm after finding out that you were a father? He pinched the bridge of his nose before returning to his seat next to Brooke.

It was all so overwhelming. A one night stand turned into a life-long commitment, just like that. Kasten wasn't as angry at Brooke for not telling him as he was angry with himself for even getting her pregnant in the first place. He was always extra careful; always using a condom and always buying the morning after pill if the girl was not on birth control. He mentally kicked himself for skipping the condom and taking Brooke's word that she'd been taking her pills properly. He was sex deprived from being overseas and it damaged his judgement terribly.

He was taken aback by her words. She didn't need him? She wasn't going to beg? Why, the Brooke he knew in high school would've stopped at nothing to try and work things out with him. He was actually quite impressed for a moment before he snapped back to reality. The baby was the most important thing right now and it would be a shame if he couldn't have both his parents.

"I want to be involved," he finally said. Kasten could tell that Brooke had changed a lot since their time together and it was for the better, but that wasn't, at least not entirely, the reason why he wanted to take part in Prescott's life. It was something that pulled at Kasten's heartstrings when he looked down at the life that he helped make. He wanted to be there for his son. "We have to talk, Brooke. About him, about us. Are you doing anything after this appointment?" he asked her urgently.

[Brooke Parker]

Brooke expected to be overjoyed to hear that Kasten wanted to be involved but something about this.. She didn’t want to make this easy for him. He was the guy who she had always wanted to be with but never felt like enough for and now the tables were finally turned. How could she not take advantage of this? “Kasten, you need to know that you can't just say now that you want to be involved and think that everything is going to just be perfect. Where were you when I was nine months pregnant searching the streets for you because I needed help? Where were you when I was giving birth on the fucking subway?” She knew that it wasn't his fault that he hadn’t been there but she couldn't stop herself like word vomit, it just kept coming out.

She cradled Prescott closer to her as the doctor called her into the exam room. “You can come.” She hissed in a tone that clearly meant this wasn't an option plus she grabbed his hand and sort of dragged him after her. “You need to know what having a newborn is really like, okay? Because I know that I can do this on my own and I would rather him never know his father than meet him and fall in love with the fact that he has a supportive dad and then have you run off when things get too hard or when a better offer comes along.” She actually managed to whisper-hiss this in such a quiet tone that the doctor didn't hear her as he led them down the hall and into the room where he would be checking on Prescott and giving him his first round of shots.

“So this is the father? Aren't you two just a perfect couple! It's no surprise that Prescott is such an adorable baby. Is his colic clearing up at all, Miss Parker?” “He's still up every hour some nights but it's getting a lot better than it was before and we're getting through it together.” She smiled meekly as she handed her young son to the doctor to be weighed and such. “And how are you healing? Have you made an appointment for yourself yet? You don't want an infection and if you feel any pain then that could be a sign. I have never seen anyone tear that much in my entire career without needing some form of reconstruction surgery.”

Brooke could feel her face growing hot, did Kasten have to hear the state of her vagina?

[Kasten Hunter]

Kasten was still getting used to this completely new and improved Brooke Parker. He let out an amused 'huh' and reached up to touch his thumb to her bottom lip. "You've got a little venom here, darling." As sarcastic as he was trying to be, her words really did cut through him like a knife. She had every right to be angry at him for disappearing and even more so for all the pain that she had to go through by herself.

"Brooke, I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you," he began to whisper back to her. "But I'm not just-- yes, I'm the father," Kasten exhaled impatiently as he was interrupted. He gave an awkward wave to the doctor and watched his interaction with Brooke. Colic? He didn't even know what it was, but it didn't sound good and why did his son have it?

When he found out about Brooke's damage, he nearly lost it. Kasten turned to look at her in bewilderment. Things were just piling themselves on top of each other and he felt like he was just seconds away from breaking down. He needed a cigarette. It was a terrible habit that he swore he would never do, but things change when you're in a war zone. 'No,' he told himself, 'you can't smoke anymore.'

"Is... Is he going to be okay, Doctor? I mean, with the colic... What is colic?" Kasten was aware that he probably looked dumb, but what the hell, it was better to know than not to know, right?

[Brooke Parker]

Dr. Benson gave an amused chuckle as Kasten asked what colic was, “Well... Colic basically means that the baby cries excessively and inconsolably. Babies with colic may have enlarged stomachs and they may pull their legs and pass gas as they cry. The reasons as to why a baby can get colic are still unknown but there are several theories behind why.” He pursed his lips and cleared his throat as he continued checking out little Prescott. “His weight gain is steady for a breastfed baby, Miss Parker... I'm going to prepare the shot, okay? Do you want to hold him while I do it? It might be comforting for him.”

Brooke looked terrified as she took her squirming newborn back from the doctor. “Okay baby.. this is going to hurt, okay?” She bit down on her bottom lip as Dr. Benson got the shot ready and soon she was holding a screaming three week old who didn't understand why he was suddenly being poked by a sharp needle. His hysterical crying actually made Brooke tear up which was ruining her tough girl act. How was Kasten suppose to see her as some strong individual if she went and cried just because her baby was in pain? But the way that he was screaming was absolutely heartbreaking.

“Okay well I'm just going to go get the prescription ready so you can get those drops to help his colic and then you guys are ready to go.” Crying babies were no problem but crying mothers were definitely not Dr. Benson's thing. “Okay...” Brooke murmured as she tried to sooth her still very hysterical son. He was crying like someone was seriously hurting him! How was Kasten going to be able to handle this? “Let me guess... You've seen a sneak peek of what a newborn is like and you can't handle it so it's back to just being him and I again?” She didn't know why she was being so harsh with him... He hadn't really done anything to deserve this but she couldn't stop herself.

She had to try and talk louder to be heard of their son's sobbing. “I'm a lot different than I was in high school, Kasten and I'm not going to be a desperate little puppy following you around anymore. I'm a strong independent woman and I don't need you. I might have needed you when I had bleeding blisters all over my feet and when the strain of my job and my pregnancy had me sobbing at the end of every day because I was in so much pain but that's not me anymore. I don't need you to hold my hand. You didn't want a baby anyway, right?”

She paused when she realized how cruel it was not to even so much as give him a chance to screw up. "But... If you want to be involved then you get one chance and I expect you to be the best damn daddy that you can be because he deserves it. He's the best thing that ever happened to me and that's why I'm not going to let you or anyone hurt him especially not like you hurt me, okay?" She didn't want any confusion on that issue. "Do you want to come to my apartment to talk after the appointment is over?"

[Kasten Hunter]

Kasten cringed as the doctor gave his baby the shot. As much of a manly man as he made himself out to be, he absolutely hated needles. It was ironic, seeing as his body was already 40% tattoos. Vaccinations just had their own kind of indescribable pain. Ignoring her comment on ditching the mother and child, Kasten moved closer to get a better look at Prescott.

"Brooke, I get that you're angry and hurt," he said, looking down at her. She was such a strong woman now and it made her that much more beautiful. She was also right: Prescott had a loving, working mother who gave birth to him on her own and could very well raise him on her own as well.

Kasten didn't even know how to finish his sentence. He wanted to pull the two of them into a hug, but he didn't want to risk suffocating the baby, so he held the side of her face with his hardened hand. "I'm sorry, Brooke," he apologized. He didn't know if it would help or if she would even accept it, but Kasten truly meant it. Nodding, he silently agreed that they would talk at her apartment.

[Brooke Parker]

“It's not your fault, Kasten.” Brooke whispered as she felt his hand on her face.... So maybe she wasn't as completely and totally over him as she thought that she was.”I forgive you and it was my fault, too.. I mean you never even wanted a baby and you were always so sure and careful not to have one in high school and I should have made you use a condom. I should have been more careful because I wasn't taking the pill like I should have been.” She looked away from him after her confession and down to their son's sweet face. He was finally settled down from his shot and that meant that Brooke could calm down as well.

It was always hard for her when Prescott was crying but she assumed that was true for most new mothers. “I'm sorry for being so hard on you. I don’t even know why I was doing it or why I'm so angry with you. I mean it's hard and I do want help but I don’t want to be that girl anymore that you have to rescue.” She wasn't anyone's damsel in distress!

What was there to say as they waited for the doctor to return? “You know.. I'm a chef now... I work at that fancy sushi place on the upper east side where I live by the way... Um.. I have a really nice apartment and if you need a place to stay then you can stay with me and be a more involved father. You can have the couch or the bathtub or.. I guess we could both sleep in my bed but we can definitely not have sex for a very long time.” She just wanted him to realize how severely that her vagina was damaged from giving birth to their precious son.

"He was breech and I tore from basically end to end. I think that they said it was like a third degree tear." She nodded slowly and shrugged as if it was no big deal that she was worried that she would never have sex again or at least good sex.

[Kasten Hunter]

Kasten smiled when she softened her defenses. Maybe he was the one that was too hard on her in high school and that was probably where her resentment towards him stemmed from. Regardless, things seemed to be okay between them now and a feisty Brook was more than 'okay' in his book.

"Shh, Brooke," he said, leaning in to kiss her forehead when she started to blame herself. Then, he moved to rest her chin on her shoulder to stare down at Prescott. "Really. I haven't had a nice home cooked meal since I was 14, you know. I'd gladly take the bathtub if you could change that," he negotiated, adding in a quick kiss to her neck to sweeten the deal.

He listened intently to her story about her injury from childbirth. Kasten had no idea what that felt like, but he could imagine. No sex was not a problem for him, not that he was expecting any from a woman who'd just given birth (who was also very angry at him) anyway. "Does it hurt to stand?" he asked, guiding her her by the shoulders over to the chairs.

[Brooke Parker]

Brooke was surprised by how sweet that Kasten was being.. Where was this guy back in high school? Granted she had changed a lot over the years but it was still hard to believe that this was the same guy as the one who didn’t want to be with her because she wasn't strong enough.. Maybe that was why he was being so sweet because now he knew how tough that she was so she could let him in, right? Not literally speaking, of course. She didn't even want sex not even when he planted a kiss on her neck which use to be enough to send her right into his pants.

She let out a relieved sigh as she sat down in the comfortable chair in the exam room. “Oh sweet baby Jesus... Yeah.. It hurts to stand and it hurts to walk and it just... hurts basically.” She laughed weakly for a second despite the fact that it wasn't in the slightest bit funny. “I won't really make you sleep in the bathtub but I will cook you a nice dinner tonight.. We need to talk about what we're going to be now that we're parents.” She reached out to hold onto one of his hands after she adjusted Prescott. “Do.. do you want to hold him? I just realized that you hadn't yet and you should since he's your son and all.”

How could she not have let him hold his own child yet? Hell, she was practically dying to hand him off at night when her arms were sore from carrying around ten pounds of chunky monkey. “So... You can stay at the apartment and we can just share my bed.. Friends do that, right?” Yep, she just friendzoned him.

[Kasten Hunter]

To be honest with himself, Kasten probably never felt more attracted to Brooke than he did now. To be even more honest with himself, he was also scared of babies, which was why he tried so hard to prevent one. It wasn't that he didn't see babies as a bundle of joy and blessing, because he did, but Kasten was afraid that he couldn't adequately care for one. They were just so fragile and small and he didn't want to hurt it, especially now that he was a bulky 170 lbs and his hands were calloused and rough.

He knew it was inevitable, but he didn't know that the moment would come so soon when Brooke would ask him to hold their child. "Um... sure," he smiled uneasily. Kasten knew he had to support the head at all times, but that was only because he'd seen some kind of infomercial on TV several years back.

Kasten chuckled at her offer. She was either still bitter about his disappearance or she was actually uncomfortable with a grown man whom she hadn't seen for ages come and live with her. Either way, he understood completely. "Brooke, I've had to sleep on the cold, hard ground for months at a time. Trust me when I say the bathtub sounds fantastic," he reassured her.

[Brooke Parker]

Brooke couldn't help but feel nervous as she handed their son over to his father which sounded odd in her head.. She should trust him with their baby, right? It wasn't like he was some sort of a freak who was going to intentionally harm him! She knew that he wasn't going to drop him or anything of the like so she forced herself to relax and his reassurance that a bathtub would work made her feel more comfortable.

It wasn't that she didn't care for him but the idea of sharing a bed with someone who she hadn't spent much time with since high school. “No, really.. I don’t want you to sleep in the tub even if it's not the worst place that you could sleep. I mean.. if it's just because you don’t want to share my bed then you can take the couch.” She didn't want him to be uncomfortable even if she did still resent him.

She knew that the old Brooke would have offered him her bed and she would sleep on the couch but those days were gone just like the days where she actually believed that she and Kasten belonged together. “You know... I did love you for a second there in high school.” It felt like as good of a time as any to admit that she had been in love with him. “But that's not important right now, all that matters is that you and your son look really great together.” What was she going to say to him? 'I use to love you but it's okay because I don't anymore'? Nobody wants to hear that. "I wonder how long before the doctor comes back so we can leave."

[Kasten Hunter]

Kasten cradled Prescott's head in the crook of his elbow and used his other hand to support his little baby back. He was so tiny and even more so when compared to his father's muscular arms. "God," he exhaled, shaking his head as if he still couldn't believe his eyes. He realized he was probably annoying Brooke every time he did that and any minute now, she'll snap at him with something smart like 'Okay, he's real! Get over it!'

"Brooke, it's your apartment, so I want you to be comfortable," he reasoned with her. Kasten was never one to turn down even the slightest hint of sharing a bed with a woman, but things were obviously different now and he had to respect her boundaries. "I'll take the couch," he told her and that was that. There was no negotiating with him once he'd made up his mind.

He listened quietly as Brooke spoke. Kasten loved her too, but it wasn't the same love that she felt towards him. In his eyes, she was like an injured bird; beautiful, but broken and he was just 15, he didn't want to be tied down to that. Now that they were adults and Brooke had healed herself, all that was left was beautiful and although Kasten knew he'd missed his chance, he couldn't help but hope that there was more to come in their future together.

"Yeah, where is he," he mumbled.

[Brooke Parker]

Brooke was about to go and complain about the fact that the doctor was taking so long to get back with the prescription but Dr. Benson walked in just as she had stood up. "Sorry for the wait." He never really explained why it took him so long to do things, he just expected them to understand which she supposed that they kind of had to. What else were they going to do? Throw fits? How mature and responsible would that be? "Oh I understand..." She murmured as she grabbed the piece of paper, "Kasten, do you want to get this filled here or wait? I still have some drops for him at the apartment if you don't want to wait in line for his medicine."

She was sort of stalling showing him her apartment because that meant that he was going to find out about Clark as pictures of the two of them filled her apartment. She led him out of the exam room and motioned towards the pharmacy line.. Thank God there was a line! She could just tell him now and then he couldn't freak out because they were in public, right? "There's something that you should know about me and my life. I have a boyfriend, Clark."

How was she suppose to explain to him that she had been dating someone for four years and just now thought to tell him? "We've been together for four years and yeah.. We don't live together or anything but maybe one day." She shrugged as if she hadn't just dropped somewhat of a bomb on him. "He lives in Jersey and he works a lot so we only really see each other once a week for like four hours at a time." She believed that he was just busy with work when in reality, he was busy with other women. She didn't think that he would ever do such a thing to her again.. They were even. He cheated on her with her mother and she cheated on him with Kasten so why would he continue having sex with other people?