Probably both.
Part of him wanted to beg his brother to say something. To tell Fallon that it was okay and it would always be okay and that he wasn’t some kind of freak or mistake. But he couldn’t make the words come. He couldn’t even move his arms and reach for him. He wanted to, but if Frankie pulled away—even for a second—it would crush him.
So he just…waited.
“I kind of want to ask why the fuck you’d drop that on me that way, but I don’t think there was an easier way to say it, was there?”
Fallon took in a shaking breath, then shrugged. “No. Not really. I went over it in my head about three thousand times.”
“I’m sure you did, bud.” Frankie’s gaze finally found his face. It searched that, then dipped lower. Fallon knew what hewas looking for. The evidence of the baby. He’d see it as soon as Fallon stood up. “Who?”
Fallon braced himself for this one too. “Charlie.”
Frankie made a soft noise, then cleared his throat. “How long?”
“How long…?”
“How many weeks or months or whatever?” He gestured to Fallon’s middle, clearly unsure how to ask and what words to use.
“Five months. And…a half. I think.” It had been just about two months since Gage found out. Eight long weeks of having that little bubble to himself.
“Shit. You’re more than halfway—okay. Okay.” Frankie covered his face with both hands. “Did you just find out?”
“No. I’ve known for a while. I…I got sick. Really sick. I looked up the symptoms, and they were pretty obvious.”
“And you’ve seen a doctor?—”
“No.”
Frankie looked pissed about that one.
“I needed to find one that could treat me. You know.Me.” He tried to emphasize the word so Frankie would get it, and after a second, it was clear he did.
“You found one?”
“Gage helped.”
Frankie bit the inside of his cheek, then leaned back on the couch. “Lucas!”
He appeared in the entrance to the hallway a moment later. “I didn’t knock him up. Don’t fucking yell my name like that at me.”
Frankie softened, but not much. “You know about this?”
Lucas pretended to check the braille watch he wasn’t wearing. “For about four hours. Since I texted you.”
“Gage knows.”
“Yep. I’m gonna yell at him about it later,” Lucas said. “Anything else?”
“Nope. Love you.” Frankie waited until he was gone again, then turned back to Fallon. “Did you decide what you wanted to do?”
“Yes. I’m going to have the baby.” He shoved his thumb into his mouth and bit down on the nail. It was too short, so it hurt, but the pain kept him distracted because he’d also made another decision he hadn’t shared with anyone.
Frankie let out a puff of air. “Got it. Does fuck face know?”
Fallon rolled his eyes at the name, even if it fit. “No.”
“Are you going to tell him?”
