not your knight in shining armor

“Just make sure to wear pants,” said Oliver who was sitting in Moira’s living room, on the couch. 

It did not entirely surprise Oliver when Kyle had reached out to him to invite him to his graduation. Oliver knew that he didn’t have anyone else, and he supposed after spending much of Kyle’s college years helping him with everything he knew about computer and even sitting down to help him with particularly difficult fixes at the shop, it only felt natural that the next step would be to invite him to watch him graduate. He had also extended the invitation to Moira and given Oliver the extra ticket to bring her if she wanted to. Oliver had made it clear to Moira that she didn’t need to go with him and Oliver was more than happy to attend on his own. 

Oliver knew Annette was also going, no doubt she was with Kyle getting ready with him so they could go together and then they could meet up with her to sit together. That was Kyle’s circle it seemed: his girlfriend, Oliver and potentially now Moira if only because Moira had connection to those very people. 

“Also, wouldn’t recommend doing anything too fancy with your hair,” he yelled to her as an afterthought. “Maybe keep it down, low pony or something.” 

Oliver looked up from the book he was reading, noticing movement from the corner of his eyes. Yael had zipped by at a lightning speed pace. Which he knew meant that she was trying to avoid being seen. Oliver took off his reading glasses. “Hey, come over here,” he called out to his daughter. 

She was a teenager and she was turning out to be a mildly rebellious one at that. She wasn’t as bad as some. Oliver could only be grateful she wasn’t a terror like he knew many of them could be. She wasn’t exactly drinking and partying and doing hard drugs as far as he knew (and he was certain he would know if she had ever shown up wasted or high), but that didn’t mean Yael certainly liked to push the limits of what she could and couldn’t do. She tried his patience plenty.

“Yes?” said Yael as she peeked out from the doorway, just her head floating there. 

“Come here,” he said as he tilted his head. 

“Dad,” she said impatiently. “I’m trying to go. I’m meeting Athena in the city with the boys. And I’m meeting the boys, like, now.” 

Oliver knew by boys she met Haki and Jonah. 

“And what? You don’t have two fucking seconds to get over here?” he asked. Yes, Oliver had eventually lost the battle with trying not to swear around his kids. Considering they were both teenagers, he wasn’t going to pretend like they didn’t already hear that language in movies and from their classmates. 

Yael stepped into the doorway, revealing exactly why she had been so hesitant to reveal herself. She had on a crop top that was almost precariously short and a little too tight for Oliver’s liking. “Oh, you’re not going anywhere dressed like that. Go to your room to fucking change.” 

“Dad, dad. Abba,” said Yael, smiling and rocking on her feet. Her curls bounce with the movement. Her curls outdid either of her parents and were big and voluminous as well as tightly coiled. “I’m not changing. Mom said I could go like this.” 

“Well, mom is fucking insane. Has she seen you?” he asked. “Don’t you lie to me. Or did you show her another outfit and then change?” 

“No, she saw me,” said Yael, rolling her eyes. “She is just way more reasonable than you,” she huffed. 

“Yeah, and considering you’re going into the city and that you’re going into the city with two boys, I think you need to fucking change into a shirt that you can tuck into those pants,” Oliver went on. “Does she know all that?”

“Of course she knows all that,” said Yael. “Ohmygod, I am not going to wear a shirt I can tuck into my pants. That is so gross.” 

“I don’t give a fuck if you think it’s gross. You know what? How about I go up there and choose the damn shirt myself?” asked Oliver. 

“Please don’t,” Yael cringed. “You literally wear the same shirt and shoes every day. You cannot choose my outfit for me.” 

“Alright, well, if you don’t want me to do it, then you have to go do it,” said Oliver. “Otherwise, you’re not leaving this house. I don’t give a fuck.” 

“Ugh, you’re so unreasonable.” Yael stomped off yelling. 

“I cannot believe you’re making her change,” said Moira rolling her eyes. 

“Have you seen this fucking shit she’s wearing? And you told her she could go out like that?” asked Oliver. 

“Would you rather she change, stuff the shirt into her purse or pockets and then change after she’s left the house? Because I guarantee you that’s what she’s going to do,” Moira said as she sat down on the couch, folding her legs underneath herself. 

“Oh, not on my fucking watch. I’ll check her purse and pockets myself if I have to,” said Oliver as he got up as if he was going to go do that just now. 

Moira quickly caught Oliver’s wrist. “Babe, we’ve talked about this. There are some battles you have to be willing to lose. If you want her to be smart about drinking and drugs, then we have to let up in other places. She’s going to do what she wants to do. However, if we come off as reasonable, she’s more willing to listen to us about the more serious issues rather because we didn’t come off as the parents who were too strict. She’s not going out in a thong and a bra. Be thankful for that.” 

Oliver ran a hand over his face. “I was a goddamn menace as a teenager, you know.” 

“I know, and compared to you, she’s an angel,” said Moira as she gave Oliver a chaste peck. 

Yael came stomping back down. Now she had switched out from her crop top, to a Slipknot tank top. It was a bit loose in places, but Oliver was willing to accept it. “Have a good night, sweetheart,” he nodded to her. 

“Ugh, mom, tell dad he’s being the worst,” said Yael. 

“I already did. You have a good time out. Remember, you have to be back by eleven, otherwise you call us and let us know where you are. At least before your father decides to file a missing persons report on you and I don’t think you want that, do you?” Moira raised an eyebrow at her.

“No,” she mumbled. “Bye. Love you,” she said as she left through the front door, slamming it shut. 

“She totally put the shirt into her bag,” said Yehuda as he popped up from behind the couch where his parents sat. 

“Yeah, yeah,” sighed Oliver as he waved his hand at his son, clearly having lost that battle. 

“Can we have pizza for dinner?” he asked now.

“Sure, buddy,” said Oliver. “You can order it.” 

“Yes,” grinned Yehuda as he then sped off to do just that. 

Ben stood next to Oliver. They both had beers in hand. Alongside them was Ryan, Wesley, Andrew, Sean, and Colin. All seven men were currently watching as their wives were attempting to get onto a floating picnic table. Actually, they were able to get on it just fine, it was trying to stay on it that would be the real challenge once they got into the water. 

“It’s not going to work,” said Oliver immediately. He had his hand in his pocket, a wide stance. “They’re not distributing their weight evenly. They’re going to tip over as soon as they hit that water. Well– everyone except your wife,” Oliver said, glancing over at Andrew. “She’s really going to get on top and grip that table for dear life.” 

“Looks that way,” said Andrew. “Which is really just smart of her.”

“Yeah, what they should be doing is Shauna and Vivian should be sitting at opposite ends. Then Ava and Callie and the other ends of each other. Moira and Naina across and then, sure, I guess Jenna can be the one on the table,” said Ryan. “It’s simple physics.” 

Colin leaned over to Wesley, painting a picture over the shouts and screams of the women. “So, right now, your wife and Callie are at the end of the table. Not really sure why Callie is at the edge like that. She’s going to be the first one to fall in. Ava has laid flat across the top of the table, limbs outstretched like a starfish. Jenna is sitting nearly on top of her, on top of the table as well, but she’s sitting on one side. Seems like a bad idea. Moira and Naina are on the opposite side and Shauna is crowded in on the other side of your wife. Looks like it’s about to go horribly wrong.” 

“Yes, even the mental image in my head, I can tell this is going to go extremely poorly,” chortled Wesley, looking rather amused. He could hear the women talking and coordinating with each other. He could also tell Jenna had a paddle or an oar of some sort as she announced this information to the other women. 

“I’m sorry, isn’t your wife supposed to be smart?” Ben asked, looking at Ryan. “Your wife is a gynecologist. Shouldn’t she figure out that this is a very poor plan?” 

“Your wife is a nurse,” said Ryan. “What makes you think that my wife would figure it out any better than yours?” 

“See? My wife knows, this is why she’s laid flat on top of the table,” said Andrew. “She’s already got a strategy in mind.” 

“You think she’ll be able to actually hang on?” Oliver asked. 

“Yeah. She won’t even let her drink go. Just you wait,” said Andrew. Granted, Ava’s drink was a fruity, non-alcoholic beverage, but Andrew already knew that both that drink and Ava would make it out of this. “It’s that yoga body and the physical therapist brain.” 

“Oh, oh, look,” said Sean. “Jenna’s pushing them from the dock. They’re– they’re really going to do this.” 

“They are not going to do anything,” said Colin, shaking his head. 

Almost as soon as Jenna used the oar to push the table away from the dock, screams erupted. Of course, they were all shouts and screams of women who were having a good time, even as they all fell into the water, splashing while the table gently bobbed.

“Oooooh!” All the men chorused together as they watched the disaster unfold. It was a trainwreck that not a single one of them could look away from. Or in Wesley’s case, that he couldn’t stop listening to. 

“That’s one, two, three, four, five, six and–” Wesley paused to see if he could hear the telltale splash of the last woman, but it never came. 

“Aha!” said Andrew. “Way to go, babe!” he shouted out to her, thumbs up. Though if Ava saw or heard him, she was in a poor position to acknowledge as she was holding onto the tabletop, her hands gripping the sides while the other women surfaced, laughing at their predicament. “Should have bet some money.” 

“No one was going to bet against the fact that your wife was going to stay on that tabletop. We all saw the Titanic. She’s basically Rose on the floating door. Only room for one,” said Sean rolling his eyes. “You know, my wife does yoga, she should have held on.” He shook his head.

“Hey, anyone got Celine Dion, feels like a good time to play My Heart Will Go On,” said Ben.

“What’s wrong with him?” Yael asked Hakeem as she took a seat beside him. They were at her house, outside. It had become something of a custom for people to gather at the Knight home because it had so much property. Even when they had all been little, they had gathered here for special occasions or times like these, when they just wanted to get together, no reason needed. 

“He heard his parents having sex,” said Danny as he walked by and took a seat. “Again.” He was the oldest of them. Well, technically, Noah was. But Noah was already graduated from college and off living a life of his own. Then Leah, who had actually just graduated and was busy with figuring out her career and applying for jobs and internships. Then there was Jolene, Aidan’s cousin, but she was studying abroad for the summer and then Danny, who had just finished his first year of college and was back home. Though technically, he was attending the New York University where his dad taught, and was hardly away, but the university was more than ten blocks from where he’d grown up, which was as good as being away when you grew up in New York City. 

“Oh no,” said Hakeem sympathetically as he looked back at Aidan. He had his head in his hands, looking down as if he might be sick with a headache. 

“Do you know how hard it is to pretend your parents don’t when you have to hear them and get confirmation?” asked Aidan miserably. On either side of him sat Matt and Tony. Tony was rubbing his back as if he were sick and was trying to soothe him. 

“Yeah, we know, man,” said Tony. “It’s like, why do they even need to, you know? We know they love each other. They already have to make out all the time. And then on top of that, you have to hear them– or catch them. They’re so inconsiderate.” 

“You’re all such babies,” Athena scoffed. “Of course our parents have sex. How do you think any of us are here right now? We already know my parents had sex at least twice. And their–” she pointed at Matt, Tony and Sam, “parents had sex twice. What’s the big deal?” 

“Athena!” said Thaddeus as he turned bright red. “Can you be cool for just two seconds? Please? Please? Chill. Please?” 

Athena rolled her eyes. “They’re all still human and they all still love each other. I would personally be more worried if they weren’t have sex anymore. Then that would be bad.”

“I think we all know our parents have sex, but there are those of us who like to pretend they only had sex to conceive us and then went mysteriously and thankfully abstinent to raise us,” piped up Danny. 

“I know your parents have sex,” said Athena rolling her eyes at Danny. 

“Yeah, I know that too, but I would prefer to pretend otherwise, Athena. Once was enough and I don’t need to relive that embarrassing fucking experience,” grumbled Danny as he stabbed some potatoes on his plate and shoved them in his mouth. 

“Hey!” said Thaddeus and Sam at his use of profanity. They were both fourteen and heard plenty of foul language on television and in movies and in school and from their own parents, but it was still odd to hear it from each other. 

“Sorry,” said Danny as he looked at them.

“Okay, but you don’t understand,” went on Aidan, “my parents are… they’re disgusting. They’re loud and you can hear it and it’s carnal and… it’s gross. You’re the weird one for being okay with it!” He gave Athena an accusatory look. 

Athena rolled her eyes. “I’m not saying I enjoy knowing that fact, just that it doesn’t bother me to know that and that I’ve made my peace with it. Notice how I’ve never curled up into a ball and started shaking from the mere idea.” She looked around at the table and her eyes landed on Matt. “You’ve been very quiet.” 

Matt shrugged. “I cried when I found my parent’s wedding photos and wasn’t invited. I’m okay with my parents being in love,” he said very nonchalantly. “Not that I want to see it or anything,” he added under his brother’s incredulous stare. 

“Do not talk about mom and dad that way,” said Tony, pointing his finger at Matt. 

“You know what the real problem is?” started Yael as she picked at the food on her plate. “The real problem is you all live in these tiny apartments in the city. Even Aidan’s dumb house is some weird converted firehouse that’s a loft and quite open. Great acoustics, too. So you can hear and know everything. There’s no privacy. Out here, though? Nice, big house. If my parents ever disappear, I just stay in my part of the house and wait for them to find me. I don’t have to hear them because sound is able to travel in this big open space. It’s basically Schrodinger’s cat for me, but Schrodinger’s sex. I can simultaneously know and can’t know my parents are having sex. I know because my parents are people. But I don’t know because I leave them alone if they’re not around and I’m sixteen and know how to use a phone to order food and anything else I need and they can find me when they’re done. I live in blissful ignorance.” 

“We didn’t choose to live in the city,” growled Danny. “Besides, it’s not my fault when I go away to college and then I decide to come home one day and walk in on my parents doing it on the damn couch!” 

“OHMYGOD YOU DIDN’T,” said Athena, gasping. 

“Yeah, I did. And unfortunately, I don’t have my dad’s gift of blindness, so I had to see everything. You all should be thankful you’ve never seen your parents without clothes on.” 

“You know, technically, there’s a good chance that when we were babies that our parents took us to shower with them at some point, so we have seen our parents naked. Granted, our moms probably dealt with the ladies and our dads with the boys. But, even the boys have all seen their moms boobs as babies, so I still don’t think it’s that big of a deal,” said Athena. “It’s all perfectly natural.” 

“It’s because she’s British,” said Sam. “British people have no shame.” 

“I don’t know, hermano,” started Tony, “have you looked at Thaddeus lately. He looks like he’s been sunburned and we haven’t even been out here long enough for that to happen. Looks like he feels plenty shame and they have the same parents.” 

“It’s because I don’t think sex and the human body are anything to feel shy or shameful about,” said Athena. 

“Yes, well, you look like that, so you wouldn’t,” said Hakeem. 

“I want you to know that not a single one of you has been helpful even a little bit,” groaned Aidan. “Least of all, you,” he added to Athena. 

Athena simply smiled proudly. “Time to grow up. Anyway, I’m going for a swim.” She got up and began to wander towards the dock at the end. 

“She’s amazing,” said Tony as he watched her sashay away. 

@moiraxknight

Moira was at the halfway point. Twenty weeks. Twenty weeks until they had their baby girl. Twenty weeks until they were officially parents. Twenty weeks until their family grew by one more. It also meant that Moira was at about four and a half months. She wasn’t quite at the third trimester, but she was certainly out of any period of true concern for their baby, despite what had happened last time, Oliver felt this would be different. 

Moira was as healthy as could be. She had him to help her through any stress and to make sure all her needs were met. He made sure she took any prenatal vitamins Naina had given her and now that pregnancy brain had set in, Oliver could help balance and offset any bouts of forgetfulness, especially as her body continued to go through its many changes. 

Oliver had been thinking about it for a long time. He had already consulted his father and her father to make sure to get it right, and he just didn’t want to wait anymore, really. He had gotten both Moira’s name and Yael’s name transcribed into Hebrew and had already set up the appointment so that he could have the two most important people in his life embedded on his skin. 

Thankfully, Moira kept herself plenty busy with commissions still, working as much as she could until she couldn’t. Oliver had been able to get away to sit down for the tattoo session. On his left forearm, the same hand he wore his wedding band, he had Moira’s name tattooed in its Hebrew form. On the right forearm, he had Yael’s name done.

Oliver’s few tattoos, were for the most part, hidden away by clothes. The portrait of Billie on his back, the one Moira had designed on his chest, the phases of the moon that wrapped around one bicep, while the other bicep held the dipper constellation of his old love. The last one sometimes ended up visible if the sleeves were short enough, but even then, it was just a flicker of ink that people ever saw. 

This time, though, on his forearms, people would see the names of his wife and his daughter and see the Hebrew letters of the culture that he came from. The visible memento that not only said a lot about who he was and the people he came from, but that also spoke about the ones he kept close, the people who were important to him. He would shout it to the world with the ink on his skin, sharing the most important parts of himself in a way that others could see. 

People warned away from getting names on your skin, because life was volatile and life was unpredictable, and who wanted the name of an ex. But Oliver knew that these might be the most important pieces he would ever have done, because then he could carry them everywhere he went, even when neither wife or daughter were with him. 

The simplicity of the tattoos meant the session only took a couple hours. Nothing so long that Moira might get suspicious. There were no fancy embellishments added, just simple and straightforward. He had put on his coat, the soreness in his arms more apparent as he made his way home, though the saniderm covering protected the freshly imprinted ink and freshly wounded skin. 

He was home before he knew it, Billie greeting him as always. Oliver removed his coat, giving her a quick greeting and Wolf as well. He even passed by Richard, giving him a quick pat on the head before he called out for Moira. His forearms held out and visible for when he found her. Find her, he did. He hardly gave her a moment to react to what he’d done, when he was already asking:  

@moiraxknight

It was Moira’s third month of pregnancy. The biggest change, Oliver felt, was Moira herself. It felt like for a long time, she had nothing but a small stomach, the sort of stomach that could easily have been from bloating or eating too much. Yet now, her stomach had swelled. It was more noticeable. She still had the ability to hide it, thanks to the colder weather and wearing huge, oversized sweaters, but there was no hiding it when they were naked. It was more real now than it had previously been.

And more than that, the baby seemed to have its body parts. It was a person. It had fingers and toes. It had a beating heart. It had ears. It was slowly growing and Oliver was sure if he looked at a picture of their baby at this stage, it would look like an alien, but it was more human than it had previously been and the size of a grape.

He playfully threw some grapes at Moira. Really, the baby, he argued, could easily be the size of an olive and it would fit in with Moira’s craving.

@moiraxknight

It was almost two months into the pregnancy and now their baby had officially reached the size of a blueberry. He held one up just trying to picture that baby. He had decided that every time a new food item was mentioned, he would buy it. It was kind of fun to track the size of the baby based one what it was compared to. 

However, the most exciting thing was the way the baby’s brain was going. Apparently, the baby grew 250,000 brain cells per minute. It was an insane to think so many brain cells were growing at a rapid rate, but it also made sense consider that people had billions upon billions of brain cells. He had to imagine the baby would be born with hundreds of billions and so it made sense it would start growing them now, a few hundred thousand every minute, developing. 

Moira teased Oliver about how nerdy it was of him to focus on the brain cells when there had been other new information delivered that week, but he couldn’t help it. Brains were important and he was just eager to teach that little brain everything he knew once it was born. 

@moiraxknight

Moira was hardly far along at this point in her pregnancy. She was just past a month and she wasn’t showing. Yet, despite this, it was clear she was already having symptoms. He had noticed she was going to the bathroom nearly twice as much as normal. She had already developed aversions to certain smells (mostly strong perfumes and aromas, they definitely weren’t going to be walking into a Bath and Body Works any time soon) and she had developed a very specific cravings for olives. Oliver had already joked that people would think the baby’s middle name—Oliver or Olivia—will have come from her sudden obsession with them.

There was something so emotional, though, about reading the weekly update of where their baby was at already: developing its important organs like a brain, lungs and gut. Growing and all while being the estimated size of a sesame seed. Oliver held a sesame seed that he had plucked off the roll of his hamburger bun and shown it to Moira, stating that was essentially their child, almost able to breathe and think and she had immediately burst into tears, already emotional at the idea of their baby growing in the way that it was inside of her. Oliver had easily been able to calm her down with the promise of an olive, naturally.

“I love that.” Moira grinned back at Alex. It was so sweet of him to want to give his son that, a little piece of what it was like to be Jewish and what Oliver would have gotten if he had had he chance to grow up with his family. Something their kid would have, all those Jewish milestones, all the birthdays celebrated with everyone that loved them. If Moira wasn’t already sure Oliver was the one for her, the one to give her a child, she’d be now, reassured of Alex’ huge heart, knowing their baby would have the most amazing zaides.

She squeezed Oliver in her embrace, encouragingly. Her heart was beating so fast she truly needed that embrace, though. She was the one that needed courage, it seemed, because Oliver didn’t beat around the bush, he straight up told their fathers their plans. Moira smiled widely as he spoke and looked at their dads, nodding to confirm his words. She could see it in her father’s eyes, the tears, the shock, but the immense love in those blue hues of his.He was frozen, speechless while Alex was hugging them.

“Thank you, Alex, thank you.” Moira grinned, hugging him back and then letting him go, her eyes heavy with tears. “We are.” She agreed with Oliver, nodding. “Scared shitless, but excited.” She admitted with a chuckle, then looking at her father. “Abba.” Moira tilted her head and Ilam smiled at her, coming towards them. 

“Baruch hashem.” He grinned, holding them both by their faces, but looking at his daughter. “I’m so proud of you.” Ilam lowered his voice a bit, even though he knew Oliver and his father could hear them. And Moira knew what he meant too. “Alex is right, you two are going to be great parents.” He patted their faces before hugging them tightly and pulling back. “And we are going to be twice zaides, my friend.” He turned to Alex, excitedly. “We should talk to the rabbi next service, see if he’ll add their names to the prayers so this baby will come faster.” He was already making plans with his new best friend.

“Abba, calm down.” Moira chuckled, although she would too be praying on her daily prayers and on Shabat for the baby to come sooner rather than later, and healthy and happy. “One thing at a time, and first we have a barbecue to get going.” She insisted, smiling at her excited father and then looking at Oliver, cupping his face gently. “Guess we’ll have babysitters for free for years.” She teased, kissing his cheek. 

“Oh, yeah, this baby is not coming before August,” said Oliver as Ilam was already talking about prayers for the two. “Maybe prayers can start in September. October,” he offered as he glanced at Moira, smiling slightly. It was sweet that they were both so excited for them. Of course, they knew of all the things Moira had been through, and then there was Oliver who had no family growing up and it was a big deal for him to be starting his own. “We’re really excited about this.”

“We are going to be twice the zaides,” nodded Alex, still beaming at the couple. “Oh, don’t worry, we’ll just make sure the prayers are for you two to be happy and healthy to promote this new life. Doesn’t hurt to start a little earlier, you know?”

“Oh, shit, yeah, the barbecue,” said Oliver as he was quick to remember that he had that started. He smiled at Moira as she gave him a quick kiss. “Thank god, because do you know how much daycare costs?” he asked. Not that it would be a problem, given that Oliver worked from home, even if they hadn’t had babysitters, he knew he’d be the perfect position to be a stay-at-home dad one way or another. “Come on, let’s go outside,” he added to their dads as he beckoned them and moved back out where he had the grill set up.

The day was perfect. The river shimmered under the sunlight, and they had set up the back area with lights and chairs and the table so that everyone would have a place to sit and be comfortable. “Everyone else should be arriving soon,” he added. It was about that time of day and given that Naina and Ryan had already been seen in town, Oliver knew they’d be by any moment now.

Moira sometimes still couldn’t believe that was her life, her actual life. Hes husband, her plans, her future. It was all real, Oliver was real, they were about to start trying for a baby and their little family would grow, Billie and Wolf would be big brother and sister. It was simply surreal. She looked into Oliver’s eyes as he spoke and all she could hear was the sound of absolute peace and the amount of love she could feel in his words. As scared as she truly was, something in her heart was telling everything would be okay, because she had Oliver, and they had the strongest, most pure love in the world. “I could only do this with you, nobody else. It had to be you and it will be you. My Jewish king to give me a Jewish prince or princess.” Moira smiled as he dried her tears, a simple gesture but that represented so much for two people that had been through as much pain and loss as both of them had.

“I’m alright, it kind of stings a little, like… I don’t know, feels like I’ve drank too much orange juice and now the acidity is making it burn a little, does that make sense?” Moira tried her best to explain. Maybe because she was feeling so happy and relaxed, it didn’t hurt as much as it did when she inserted it. She remembered having horrible cramps the whole day and day after. “Nothing some tender love and care won’t fix.” She teased, resting her hand on his leg and leaning back on her seat as he took off and headed home. 

All the way back to their house, their little sanctuary, Moira thought about how things seemed to have prepared them for that moment. They now lived in a calmer place, while still close to the city, with a great school district, a Jewish community. A great place to raise a child. Alex was closer too now, so they’d have all the support from their fathers and Oliver would get to have the chance to live fatherhood with his dad close to him. They had plenty of space at the house to turn one of the rooms into a nursery and then a room for the kid as they grew without having to compromise office space or even their guest room. They were going to do just what they had talked about the first time they walked into that house, fill it with family, with love. And some more plants, if her father had any saying on it. 

Moira closed her eyes and just enjoyed the wind on her face during the ride, keeping her hand on Oliver’s leg like she had to touch him to make sure none of that was a dream. Soon enough she’d be so big she’d even had to push her seat backwards, she thought. They’d have a little seat on the back for the baby, a stroller folded in the trunk every time they went out with the little one. She couldn’t wait, she truly couldn’t. Soon enough the car was slowly down and they were parking in front of the house, her absolute dream home where they’d now raise their child in. Moira smiled thankful when Oliver came around to open the door to her and and headed down the steps to the door with him, Billie and Wolf making their little greeting ritual as always.

“Hello, hello.” Moira chuckled, scratching both their heads, accepting Billie’s happy licks and Wolf’s lazy curls around her legs before they were heading back to their napping spots for the day. Mom and dad hadn’t been away long enough that they’d stop sleeping, it seemed. She looked at Oliver when she heard his whisper and smiled widely, nodding. “We are.” She whispered back as if they were sharing a secret, just the two of them and the house could know. “God willing, soon enough we’ll have a little Knight running after Billie and Wolf right here.” She waved towards their dining area that separated the living room and the kitchen. They truly lived in the perfect place.

“Come here.” Moira gently took his hand and led him to their room, right into the closet, stopping in front of the mirror. She wrapped Oliver’s arms around her, palming his hands on her stomach, where soon their baby would be growing, and resting her head on his shoulder. They were beautiful together, cheek to cheek like that. She could picture it, her stomach growing, Oliver’s hands on it, the baby kicking to say hello, and her lips curled in a wide grin at the thought. “Do you remember our first time?” She asked in a whisper, covering his hands with hers, looking at him through the reflection of the mirror. “I remember wishing it wouldn’t be the only one because I knew, deep in my heart, that nothing and no one would ever be that special.” Moira told him, a smile dancing on her lips. “Every single time since that one was just like that, special, like nothing else. And from now on, it will be even more special. Because it will put a little Knight right here.” She tapped his fingertips on her stomach, grinning. “And then we’ll know just how powerful it is, our intimacy, knowing what we created together.” 

She turned her face to look a him, so much love for that man she felt like she was going to explode. “It doesn’t matter how long it take us to get pregnant, I want to make love to you, every single time we feel like it, because I want to show you what my words can’t convey.” She whispered to him. “I want you to know just how much I love you, Knight. How much I will love you until the end of my days. And how much I want you to be the father of my child.” 

Oliver allowed himself to be led away by Moira, holding onto her hand as she took him to their room, the animals had already gone back to their naps, satisfied with their greeting at the door. Oliver could tell where Moira would take them and was confirmed when she went into their closet, standing in front of their mirror. He stood behind her, his arms gently moved by Moira to wrap around her, his hands coming to rest on her flat stomach. It would be flat for now, anyway, but he knew it was only a matter of time before she started to grow that little baby.

He let his hands move over her abdomen, his hands memorizing what it felt like now so that way he would know the moment her body started to change due to a baby. He looked back at their reflection in the mirror. He thought of the day of their wedding when they had been there, having just been married and in their respective outfits, looking their best. They would stand here plenty more times in their life, he knew, every time they hit a new milestone. Every time they simply wanted to remember the moment they were living in, just as they did now, gazing at their reflections as they were about to embark on this new journey to create a new life.

He looked at Moira’s reflection and nodded his head. “I do. Quite vividly,” he added. He remembered how tipsy they had been and yet how natural every motion they had taken that night had been. They had fallen into a pattern, at the time new, that would become intimately familiar and special. He smiled as Moira echoed the sentiment out loud, talking about how they would soon create a new life with that intimacy. Soon, they would have proof of just how powerful that love could be, growing right inside her, born and brought into this world. Oliver breathed deeply, he was going to be a father before long.

He still couldn’t believe it some days, just how far he had come. He had been an orphaned baby, grown up in foster care, being bounced from foster family to foster family until he was no longer in the system having to fend for himself and make it in this world. It hardened him, especially after Ana’s death. He’d lost all hope in those following years, never thinking he’d find love or a family. He had made peace with being alone in this world. He had to grow up alone and he would die alone, and then suddenly, that was no longer true. He not only found new love, but his family, against all odds. Oliver couldn’t even begin to imagine what he had done in his life to deserve it, but he was certainly never going to take any of it for granted.

“Did he like the motorcycle?” Ilam was asking in a whisper, not sure if his daughter had showed it to Oliver already.

“He loved it.” Moira grinned. She should have filmed Oliver’s reaction, his face when he saw it, the gentleness of his touches on the bike’s structure. 

“Good.” Ilam smiled, giving her a proud nod. “I got him a present too, it’s in the bag.” He handed the grocery bag to Moira and she rested it on the dining table to pull out the package of the kosher hot dogs and a little present bag, all decorated with Hebrew engravings. 

“What is it?” Moira asked curiously. “Smells like coffee.” She grinned.

“That’s because it is, your bubbe Rifka sent some from Israel, I asked her for an extra package for Oliver.” He told her and Moira was instantly taken by the memories of their last family trip to Israel, right before the pandemic hit, drinking coffee with her grandparents and cousins. 

“Thanks, dad.” She grinned. “He’ll love it.” Moira handed him the packet so he could be the one to give it to Oliver and they headed into the kitchen, Moira going straight to the fridge to store the hot dogs for now. “Wait for me for what?” She was asking when she turned around and noticed the look in Oliver’s eyes. “Oh.” Moira felt her heart racing in her chest. She knew they couldn’t keep that from their dads, they would be the people to root the most for them, after all.

“What is going on?” Ilam asked, noticing the looks between the two as he approached Oliver, wrapping him in a warm hug. “Happy birthday, and mazel tov.” He grinned as he pulled back, gesturing towards the box of bar mitzvah items. “I got you something small, but I’ll admit it’s something my daughter can enjoy too.” He admitted with a laugh, resting the package on the counter.

“Oh my God, is that a tzedakah box?” Moira’s eyes widened as she came closer, wrapping an arm around Oliver. “Babe.” She looked at him, eyes already heavy with tears as she squeezed him. “Alright, alright, I’ll wait a little longer to cry.” She chuckled. “Go on.” She gently bumped her hips onto his and tilted her head towards their dads. “It’s your birthday, you tell them.” She encouraged him, smiling widely. 

Oliver smiled as Moira and Ilam joined them in the kitchen. He nodded at Moira’s question when she realized what he was referring to. Although he wasn’t sure about telling their entire circle of friends just yet, at least not until Moira was ready, he wanted to share this moment with their fathers. He knew what a big deal this would be for the two of them.

“Hey, thanks,” said Oliver with a smile at Ilam as he returned the hug and nodded at the gift. He would get to it after he had delivered the news.

Alex smiled at Moira and nodded. “It is a tzedakah box,” he confirmed. “Little box of bar mitzvah items. Trying to catch up on all the years I missed.” He winked at her before he then looked back at Oliver.

Oliver’s arm wrapped around Moira. “Well, we made a decision and we’re going to start trying for children,” he smiled as he looked between the two fathers. “Moira let me know she’s ready to give it another go, and timing kind of works out because she’s able to have her IUD removed in two months and so, when she does, we’re going to try for kids. She let me know that today.” He placed a quick kiss on top of her head.

“Really?” smiled Alex as he looked between the two. His eyes glistened with tears. He had never thought he’d get his son back, and now he had his son and would soon have grandchildren from him. He moved forward to that he could give them back a hug. “You two are going to be such good parents,” he told them.

Moira did not fight it when Oliver pulled her into another embrace, her arms instantly going around his neck. She never did, really, it was impossible to resist him. “My Jewish king.” She whispered back to him, giving him one last kiss before she let go. “Yes, yes, I still need to start preparing some things for the barbecue before everyone arrives.” Moira nodded, taking his hand and heading out of their room. 

Moira had indeed calculate the time to wake him up perfectly. They had time to clean up, reheat breakfast and eat calmly and even do dishes before there was anyone driving into their garage way. Oliver was setting up the grill and Moira was preparing the burger patties when the doorbell rang for the first time. Wolf perked up his head, he’d been sitting on the edge of the kitchen island, watching his mom prepare the meat and hoping he’d get a little piece while Billie circled the island, trotted outside to sniff the grill and Oliver and then came back. She wasn’t sure what to do, if she should go find out what dad was doing or expect some treats from mom. But when the doorbell rang she ran there immediately, sniffing under the door gap and crying.

“It’s us.” Ilam called out and Moira knew “us” meant Ilam and Alex had come together, which had become quite regular now. It was always either one of them driving the other to hers and Oliver’s place or the synagogue. 

“Dads are here.” Moira let Oliver know, wiping her hands with a washcloth and covering the meat with it. “Don’t you dare.” She eyed Wolf and he just blinked at her, daring. “Come on, zaides are here.” She snapped her fingers and he followed her to the door. Moira opened it up and Billie instantly launched herself onto Alex, sniffing and licking his hands and then moving to Ilam. “Bills, let them get in.” Moira laughed, opening the door widely so the two older men could walk inside. Wolf came trotting and rubbing himself on their legs. “Alright you two, let your zaides come inside first, come on.” Moira chuckled, closing the door when the two walked in. “Hi, hi abba. Hi, Alex.” She greeted them, Ilam coming in for a hug.

“Shalom, neshama.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek. “We brought kosher hot dogs.” He lifted the plate in his hand. “I think we saw Ryan and Naina when we drove by the bakery in town.” He added as he was removing his jacket carefully.

“Ooh, perfect, they were supposed to pick up the cake.” Moira grinned, going in to hug Alex. “Hi, welcome.” She hugged him tight and pulled back to grab his jacket. “Birthday boy is outside setting up the grill.” She grinned, hanging his jacket and then her dad’s when he handed it to her. “Ask him what he got for his birthday, you’ll see him light up more than he did at our wedding.” She teased.

After cleaning up and getting settled, Oliver went out back so he could start the process of setting up the grill. He had already hooked up the canister of fuel and had turned it on so he could start heating up. He lightly painted the grill with some oil as well, so that it’d keep the meat from sticking. He smiled as he watched Billie move back and forth between the kitchen and the outdoor area where Oliver was. She was clearly torn between the smell of meat from Moira’s prep and being outside to investigate what Oliver was doing. “Don’t worry, girl, you know you’ll get your own burger later.” He leaned down just as she was coming back up to him to squeezed and hold her face. However, before he could give her too much love, Billie was running off and straight past the kitchen. Oliver could only assume someone had arrived.

“Hello, hello,” said Alex with a smile as Moira greeted them while Ilam announced they had brought some kosher hot dogs to contribute to the barbeque they were about to have. “Oh?” he smiled at Moira. “Sounds like it’s a good start to the day,” he chuckled. In his hands he had a rather large gift. “I’m going to go find him,” he said as he held up the gift before he excused himself and moved through the house.  

By now, Alex had sufficiently settled into Rhinebeck and also had been by the house often enough to know how to navigate it. He already found Oliver in the kitchen, Billie was at his heels as they crossed paths. “Hello, my son,” he said as he moved forward to embrace Oliver.

“Hey,” said Oliver, hugging his father tightly before he let him go, giving him a quick pat on the back.

“Happy birthday,” he said and held out the gift for Oliver.

“You know you did not have to,” he said to him, taking the gift from his father and putting it down on the kitchen counter.

“Nonsense, I have thirty-nine years of gift giving to make up for,” said Alex shaking his head. “Go on,” he said with a nod as he gestured to the box, inviting Oliver to open it.

Oliver went ahead and unwrapped it, opening the large box. Inside he found various items including: a tzedakah box, a star of David necklace, and a couple of books.

“I know you never had a bar mitzvah,” started Alex, “so, these are traditionally gifts given during the bar mitzvahs. In fact the books are books we bought on what would have been your bar mitzvah. Your mother bought the gifts hoping to one day give them to you. It’s why you’ll notice they’re young adult novels, ideally you might not have been forty when it happened, but I’ve held onto these books all these years, so now that I have you, it didn’t make sense to keep them anymore. The tzedakah box is a collection tin, basically. See, we as a community believe highly in charitable acts, so theses boxes are used to collect money you then donate to charity. Again, as a child you just put money in them and then donate them to whichever charity of your choice. I know these gifts are small, but, like I said I have thirty-nine years to make up for the bar mitzvahs are one of the bigger events in a young Jewish boy or girl’s life.” Oliver looked at his father as he explained the gifts and what they meant, tokens collected with the hopes of being reunited with him one day. He looked back at each small, but hugely meaningful token and then embraced his father again. “I can’t show Moira this or she’ll cry,” he joked. “Thank you,” he nodded. “This—this means a lot to me.” Oliver wished he had more words to convey exactly how much this meant to him, really. It was impossible for him to say in that moment.

“Speaking of, she said that you received some gifts already today?” he smiled.

The whole time they were heading out of the office and to the car, Moira was silent. She felt like she was in a stupor, like she couldn’t believe any of that was happening. That she had felt ready for motherhood again, that she had found someone who would bring that wish, that dream back to her. That she had survived all she had, and found love again. Her heart was pounding in her chest, her eyes full of tears. If she felt like that now, only after having removing the barrier that kept them from parenthood, she was most definitely going to pass out when her pregnancy test came out positive. It was just surreal. 

She still remembered the pain after waking up and learning she had lost her little boy. But she also remembered the excitement of finding out she was pregnant, the happy moments of pregnancy, even the video calls with Lucas when she updated him on everything that was going on. It had been a happy time in her life. And this time she would be even happier, she knew. She had the best partner she could have ever chosen to do this with, she’d give Oliver a child and a chance to live the family that was taken from him when he was a little baby. They’d have a happy, Jewish home filled with love and tradition. She’d never have to tame her faith, not to herself, not when it came to raising their child. 

Moira sat in the passenger seat, kicking off her heels and letting her purse fall to the ground by her feet. She looked at Oliver as he spoke to her and just turned on her seat, leaning in to pull him into the tighter embrace she could manage while they were in the car, in that small space. “I love you so much.” She whispered in his ear, squeezing him in her arms, closing her eyes and letting the tears run down her cheeks. “So, so much, baby.” She buried her face in his neck, breathing him in. That was the scent of the love of her life, the future father of her child, the one she would grow old with and still be drawing him in her secret sketchbooks until her hands gave out on her. “Thank you, thank you for being with me, thank you for giving me this chance.” Moira cried softly, and it wasn’t out of sadness, those were tears of joy, of gratitude.

She pulled back a bit, reaching out to cup his jaw with one hand. “Jewish culture says everyone has that one person, that one soul that God crafted for you to walk hand in hand with, a predestined person made just for you.” She told him, smiling through her tears, gently grazing her thumb on his chiseled jaw. “The one written in your destiny that you’ll love and be loved by, marry and continue the legacy of our people. A bashert.” She grinned, leaning closer to plant a soft kiss on his nose. “And you are mine. Bashert sheli.” She whispered, lips brushing against his. “I am going to give you a healthy, happy child, I promise.” Moira said, eyes locked on his, her heart beating so fast she felt light-headed even. “The most loving, intelligent and sweet little Knight. And we’ll give our child everything it deserves, all that I had growing up, all that was taken from you, and more.” She was making a promise there, from the bottom of her heart. This time she would see the pregnancy to its term, she would bring a healthy baby to the world, nurse it, love it, and watch Oliver be the best father in the world to it. 

“Let’s go home.” Moira nodded softly, pecking his lips without any rush, unable to be apart from the love of her life. “Just the two of us, no noise, no nothing, just us, naked in our bed, in our bubble.” She wanting nothing more. A whole day just in his arms, it didn’t matter if they’d be making love or not, she just wanted to be with Oliver and nobody else while they prepared their hearts, their souls and their bodies to make that baby together. 

Oliver hugged Moira back as she reached out to embrace him. He held her there, his hand moving over her hair, feeling the waves and curls against his palm. “Oh, baby, I love you too,” he whispered back to her. His other hand was moving up and down her back as if trying to soothe her. He knew she wasn’t upset, but it was emotional. It was emotional for her, he had no doubt as it was certainly emotional for him. He could only imagine all the thoughts that must be going through her mind in that moment now that she no longer had the IUD to stop this baby from happening.

He kissed the top of her head gently just as she was pulling back. He could see the tears in her eyes, glistening. “Oh, no baby, thank you for giving me this chance,” he told her. After all, Oliver would not have blamed her if she had decided that she could not have dealt with the trauma of another birth, of risking losing another child. He would have understood if she was unwilling to have this baby, but despite all she had gone through, she wanted this just as much as him. She was willing to overcome anything she had in her past to try and have this baby, to give Oliver his family and to have a second chance for herself to raise a child. “You’re the one giving me a chance to have this child and to make sure we put something good in this world, after all you’ve been through. I should be thanking you.”

He let his hand wipe some of the tears that had spilled over, Moira going on about a concept that sounded not unlike soulmates. He listened though as she explained. “Bashert,” he repeated the word in a faint whisper so that he could remember it, but not interrupt Moira. His eyes closed as she leaned forward to place a kiss on his nose and then brush her lips against his own. He opened his eyes again and nodded. “I know you will, baby,” he told her. “I know you’re going to grow and take care of our baby the best you can and we’re going to have our little girl or our little boy, no matter what.” And Oliver knew that this would happen for them, if only because there was nothing that said otherwise. They were healthy and they were ready. They had to take this journey together.

Oliver nodded as she said they should go home. He went ahead and gave her one last quick peck before he started the car, heading back to their home in Rhinebeck so they could simmer on this new development and enjoy each other now that it was over and done with. “You feeling okay, though? Not too sore?” he asked, glancing at her as he put the car in reverse and started the journey home.

It didn’t them long either, before Oliver was pulling up their familiar home. It was the home they had been living in for over a year now. It was almost incredible to think that Oliver had bought this house on a whim, simply because Moira had loved it so much and now they were married and ready to expand their family beyond just their furry animals. They were ready to make one of those rooms a nursery and to infuse a new life into it, to make this house not just their home but one suitable for a family as it deserved.

Once he had parked, Oliver went around to open the door for Moira and help her out of the car. They walked back to the house where Billie greeted them as always Wolf following closely behind to say hello. They were home, but suddenly it felt different. Oliver was already picturing the way their home would soon have toys, baby clothes, new pictures added to the ones that already adorned the walls and shelves. He could see the way there would be a new aspect of life that would be added once they did have that baby, and even before then once Moira did become pregnant. Furniture might be rearranged to accommodate additional furniture. He couldn’t wait to make those changes either. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Moira teased while she dried her body. She remained in the bathroom while Oliver went to get dressed so she could style her hair, going through the steps she always did, and then doing her makeup. She already knew what she’d be wearing, she’d gotten the dress specially for the occasion, so she took her time to make sure her hair was perfect and her makeup light and sweet, while still looking sexy and her best for her husband, the birthday boy. Moira hung her towels once she was done and stepped out just in time to catch Oliver tucking in his shirt and turning to show her his look.

Moira froze for a moment, her jaw dropping. “Are you- Wow, baby.” She smirked, moving a little closer to walk around him and check the whole look. “I thought we were going to make an effort to keep our hands to ourselves all day. This is the complete opposite.” She said sincerely, stopping in front of him, still completely naked, and going on her tip toes to peck his lips. “You look absolutely beautiful, as always, but a little more today.” She teased. “I think your dad will love seeing you like this, all dressed up for your birthday.” Moira knew Alex would be emotional to spend Oliver’s birthday with him no matter what he was wearing. 

“Let me get dressed. The hair stuff is all on the sink, I just used it.” She stole another peck from his lips and went to the closet, soon walking out with her pink, silky mid-length dress, new underwear underneath she’d show Oliver later, and some light silver jewelry to add a finishing touch. She sat on the bed to tie her high heeled sandals and then she was done, standing up in front of him and smoothing the dress down her curves. “What do you think?”

“What? I’m wearing clothes, that’s the effort I’m making,” said Oliver as he looked down at the outfit he had chosen before he looked back at her, still naked. “I would say the one who is about to tempt me into already being unable to keep my hands to myself is you.” He took this chance to run his hands over her naked body one more time, at least for the next several hours. He let his hands move down her sides before her gripped her ass and gently squeezed it while she gave him a quick peck. “I think he will, too,” he agreed before he let her go so that she could go ahead and dressed herself.

Oliver nodded, leaving her to put clothes on while he went into the bathroom. He found the hair product and put some onto his hands before he ran it through his hair. It was easy to get all over as he had just gotten his hair recently cut, so it was nice and short, especially given they were still in the middle of summer. He finished the process off by scrunching up his short hair the way Moira had showed him to do and then wiped his hands down with a hand towel.

Moira smiled at the kiss on her forehead and just how tender Oliver was to her in that moment. She could only imagine how incredibly supportive he would be when the time came for her to give birth to their child. She knew he’d be there through every step, every part of it, holding her hand, keeping her grounded until that baby was out in the world and then even more after, being the best dad the world had ever seen. “Yes.” She grinned, nodding, looking into his eyes. “The most beautiful little human.” Moira couldn’t freaking wait, really. 

“Ok, let’s go.” She smirked, tugging his hand back. God, she knew they were in for a marathon. Many, really, until that baby was there and then some. And even sore, she could feel that tingle between her legs, just knowing what would be waiting for her at home. 

They walked back into the room and Naina gestured for them to take a seat again, which Moira did and held onto Oliver’s hand while he did as well. She felt nervous, even if she knew the tests had come back with good results, if she knew there was nothing between them and their dream of parenthood anymore. 

“Alright, so, just wanted to talk to you real quick.” Naina was still typing on Moira’s file and then she stopped, turning to look at them, a reassuring smile on her lips. “As your doctor, I can say nothing but good things. Both of your results are good, as I’ve said before, and everything is perfectly fine with your body. Your vaginal canal is looking great, healthy, perfect to push a baby through there soon, if you decide to go for a natural birth.” She pointed out.

“I do.” Moira was already nodding.

Naina nodded back. “I know.” She smiled. “But we’ll talk about a birth plan when the baby is in there, alright?” Naina had been through Moira’s first pregnancy with her, she had seen her friend suffer through the loss of her son. As her doctor and her friend, she had a duty there to tame Moira’s expectations. “As your doctor and your friend now, my suggestion is go with the flow of your libido, both of you.” She pointed at Oliver as well. “No tracking your ovulation, no overthinking this, just keep your sex life active and healthy, and fluid. Natural, loving as it should be. The more pressure you put on yourselves, the longer it will take, ok?” 

Moira nodded, sighing lightly. She knew she simply had to chill and continue to love her husband as she already did. Libido was not a problem for them. “Okay, got it.” She said.

“Another thing is you will get your period while the baby doesn’t come. That might be new, since you didn’t for a long time.” Naina continued and Moira scrunched her nose. “If you get bad cramps, increased flow, it might be normal over the first couple months of periods. If it persists, come back, ok? But with your results and your health, I don’t think it will take you this long to get pregnant.” She said sincerely. “But keep in mind, it might take a while and that is okay. Your body will just be readjusting to not having those hormones. The baby will come when it comes. And it will be the right time.”

Moira smiled. She knew that was her best friend talking, her best friend with faith in destiny and the magic of life. And also as a professional that had seen the most miraculous pregnancies happen. “Yeah, it will.” She looked at Oliver, squeezing his hand. Everything happened in the right time for them. That baby wouldn’t be different just because they would be actively trying.

“Now, as your friend, I have to say…” Naina smirked. “Go and have fun!” She said excitedly. “There’s no other couple in the world that deserves it more than you two, the fun, the excitement, and the baby! Go and make that baby with love and happiness. It will be loved beyond believe by everyone in your lives.” She smiled at them, feeling a bit emotional even. “I am honored to be part of this journey with you two and I promise I will be the best doctor Moira could ever have.” She was talking to Oliver directly now. “She will be supported throughout the entire pregnancy, we will create the birth plan together, all three of us. I will be present and here no matter when the baby decides to come. You will be included in everything, every little aspect that you can be a part of, ok? I promise!” Naina felt like she had a duty to Moira now, this baby would come into the world and it would grow to be happy and loved by those parents. 

“Thank you, Nai.” Moira smiled at her, reaching out to squeeze her hand.

“Thank you.” Naina squeezed her back, tugging on her hand playfully. “I’ll e-mail you both your results and everything else, your vitamins and some food you might add into your diet to help already. But for now, go and make me a baby to bring into this world, thank you very much!” She laughed, gesturing for them to get up and go home.

Oliver settled down in Naina’s office. It felt like the worst was over. Moira had the IUD removed and Naina had already delivered their positive test results. He certainly felt much more at ease and calm now, at any rate. He kept hold of Moira’s hand and listened as Naina went on now. One thing he did know would happen was that Naina would be on top of everything Moira would need from the day this baby was conceived. He knew that, in a way, Naina had stakes in this just as much as he and Moira being, not just her doctor, but her friend who had witnessed how Moira’s first pregnancy had gone. If anything, it made it much better that her friend was helping her through this. She would understand exactly what Moira had gone through and be delicate about it. 

Oliver nodded along to Naina’s words to show he was listening even though he didn’t say much. He did glance at Moira as Naina mentioning going with the flow of their libido. That definitely wouldn’t be an issue. He had the feeling now that Moira had her IUD removed, both of them might have increased libido. Moira even more so, knowing that the cycles of ovulation and fertility often could result in that naturally. He was sure it was why Naina offered the advice in the first place. Human bodies were remarkably instinctual in that manner and aspect.

Much in the same way that increased libido would help them conceive, he knew that stress could also be a factor that hurt them. Though, Oliver felt once their initial nerves were gone, they would fall into their usual pattern. Despite Oliver’s more reserved self when he was out and around other people, Moira and him always fell into such an easiness around each other, that any stress they might have would instantly melt away when they were on their own. It always seemed to happen and the important thing was to simply do what came naturally to them, what they had been doing this entire time, really.

Oliver nodded at her assurance that he would be included in as much of the process as possible. He had no doubt that Moira would also make sure of that. “Well, as long as we’re doing what’s best for Moira, that’s all I really care about,” he said. He looked over at his wife and squeezed her hand. “Thanks again,” he added to Naina as he reached out a hand to shake hers quickly, standing up now that she was dismissing them. He gave her a wave, before he and Moira were exiting the office. He also said goodbye to the nurses and receptionist as they went through the office.

Before long, they were back in the car, Oliver in the driver’s seat, and Moira on the passenger side. He turned his body to face hers now that they were alone. “How are you feeling?” he asked her. Naina had said she might be sore for the rest of the day due to the removal of the IUD. He couldn’t even imagine what the soreness might feel like. “Just head straight home or do you want to stop anywhere?” he asked her as he squeezed her thigh gently.

“Yes, they can.” Moira added simply, a soft shrug lifting her shoulders. “Oh no, not dogs or pets, just human children.” She laughed, shaking her head and scrunching her nose back at him. 

That little moment right there, right after they had just made love, it was absolutely perfect. It was them, it was who they were, sharing every thought, discussing every aspect of their future family. Moira watched as Oliver seemed to be testing the way those names sounded, their possible little boy’s name. Her lips curled in a wide smile at his choice and she nodded. “It’s my favorite too.” She admitted. It sounded strong, powerful, and their child deserved such a name. “Well, if we do Knight-Lieberman they might start going just by Lieberman.” She teased, wrapping her arm around him and holding him back, feeling the water starting to get cold on their skin but unable to move away from her man. “Especially that nose.” She grinned.

“Come on, let’s get dressed.” Moira turned off the water and let go of Oliver much against her will, reaching for their towels and handing him his. “I still need to clean the mess you made at the entrance hall.” She teased, wrapping the towel around her body and stepping out of the shower, reaching for her cotton towel to wrap around her hair.

Oliver nodded as Moira suggested they should get dressed. He grabbed the towel she handed him as he began to dry himself off, starting with his hair and moving down and over the rest of his body stepping out of the shower as he did so. “Hey, we made that mess together,” he said. “Remember, it was half you, too,” he teased as he scrunched his nose at her, before he finished drying the rest of himself off. 

Once he had done that, he left the towel to hang on their towel rack and moved into the bedroom. Oliver liked the chance to air dry, it always was more thorough than the towel and so he did just that as he went to the closet to begin picking out the clothes he would wear that day, laying them out on the bed before he finally went and pulled on a pair of underwear, followed by a pair of dark slacks and a collared, powder blue shirt. Given that they were having family and friends over, he wanted to look nice. However, as he buttoned up the shirt, he left the last button open, before tucking it into his slacks. He still wanted to be comfortable after all. The look gave him an air of casual, coolness but while still looking presentable. 

Moira chuckled at his comment. She was sure Naina had been so deep in her doctor mode that day she barely noticed Oliver was naked, she only cared about keeping him alive. Considering Naina hadn’t commented anything about Oliver’s body, just about the surgery (and Moira knew she would if she had seen Oliver naked in any other situation), she was sure the doctor only remembered that fact because people were always naked during surgeries, under those hospital gowns. 

She felt the squeeze in her hand and smiled up at him. God had really been good to her, huh? Compensating every little bit of sorrow from her past, sending her that man. Naina was pulling the device carefully but Moira still groaned, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, her whole body shuddering. She focused on Oliver’s voice, imagining that baby, and also focusing on the fact that pulling that baby out was going to be a hundred times more painful, but also a thousand times more rewarding. It hurt now, like she could feel every inch of that tool Naina had inside her, and the IUD moving to come out. But she had the image of that curly haired baby in mind, Oliver holding it, so she endured, groaning but she endured. 

She blinked and looked at him when he told her he hoped they had a girl. Her eyes instantly filled with tears. “I do, too.” Moira confessed, smiling widely as he continued. She could so perfectly picture that, Oliver telling their little lady all about constellations. Moira had been thinking about it, about a girl. Maybe because she felt like she had had her boy already, and this time God would do everything different from the first time. A little girl, a present partner, a child that survived and they got to raise. She wouldn’t love a boy any less, she just felt this strange feeling that it would all indeed be different this time. Moira felt another sting and then suddenly a huge relief as Naina was pulling the tweezer out.

“And we’re done.” She announced, turning on her little stool and going to handle her tools for a moment as Moira felt her body relaxing, even though she was still a little sore. “Let me just check if everything’s okay.” She was back behind the drapes and Moira focused on Oliver’s eyes again. Oh, she’s pray for the baby to have those almond shaped eyes. “How are you feeling?” Naina asked.

“Sore.” Moira admitted. “But fine, nothing unbearable.” 

“Yeah, you might be a little sore for a bit today, but it should go away soon.” Naina explained, finishing up her examination and carefully pulling the speculum out too. 

Moira sighed in utter relief, letting her legs drop knee to knee for a moment. “Can I get up?” She asked.

“Yes, I’m just going to give you a little pad, in case there’s any blood. But there shouldn’t be, just a spot or so.” Naina said, pulling the drapes away and throwing her gloves in the trash can next to the slab. “There you go.” She got one of those small, daily use pads from a drawer and handed to Moira. “I’m going to let you get dressed, I’ll be back in the office so we can talk.” She smiled, sanitizing her hands with the sanitizer by the slab and then patting Oliver’s back before she left them alone. 

Moira sat up carefully, taking the panties from him and putting the pad in it before she put it back on, letting her dress fall down. She felt a bit sore like she did the day she had the IUD inserted. But her heart was rushing. “We can do it now, baby.” She whispered, getting to her feet in front of him and putting on her shoes. “We can go make our little Knight.” She grinned, tugging on his hands. 

Oliver smiled as Moira agreed with the sentiment that he hoped they had a girl. Of course, if they did end up with a boy, Oliver would be just as happy. Truth be told, he might have said that if only to help Moira focus on anything else that wasn’t the pain or discomfort he could tell she was definitely experiencing in that moment. Though, Oliver did love the idea of a little girl. Perhaps it was because he already had Noah as a nephew. Or perhaps it was because he had been there to see Ben raise his girls, and now longed for his own little girl to raise now a cousin for Leah to share all her girly knowledge with. 

“You did so good baby,” Oliver told her, kissing her forehead gently while Naina was double checking on things. He then put her hand to his lips to kiss that as well and let go of her so she could sit up, Naina handing her a pad. He nodded as Naina gave him a quick pat and left them alone so Moira could put her underwear back on. 

“We can,” he nodded. “We can get to making that little baby of ours. Get to putting together the most beautiful little soul we can manage.” He brushed some of her hair away from her face once she was on her feet. “Come on, let’s go talk to Naina so we can go ahead and head home and just...” Oliver let his voice trail off, as he tugged her hand so he could lead her to the office where they’d met Naina in to begin with.