Father and Son

Aiden didn't wake up until the early afternoon the next day. His fever finally broke early that morning and Derek had fallen asleep holding Aiden's hand. Even after the doctor said that his health was improving, Derek wouldn't allow anyone to come in and visit him. Mrs. Hudson, Yuki and Isaac were all turned away but Mrs. Hudson's thermos of soup managed to make its way to Aiden.

When it was almost dinner time, Aiden couldn't help but ask,

"Derek, is it really okay to be missing so much work?"

"Eager to get rid of me, are you?" Derek smirked in amusement. "I already told them that I was taking the entire week off so there's no need to worry. If anything important comes up they can just email me." Just then, a nurse came in to draw blood for the DNA test Aiden wanted.

Aiden was so used to getting poked with needles that it barely registered as the nurse took his blood. Derek seemed more hurt by it than Aiden was.

"Derek, can you please stop hovering like an anxious parent of a new born baby? I'm fine!" The nurse laughed and excused herself once she was done. Derek frowned slightly.

"I can't help it. I'm worried and I don't want anything to cause you more pain." Aiden smiled warmly at him and tightly held his hand.

"I know and it makes me happy that you're thinking of me so much, it really does. But please, try and relax a little. I'm alright now. Come here." Aiden raised his arms a bit for a hug and Derek immediately leaned in and hugged him back but very carefully.

The next day, Derek reluctantly let Aiden's visitors in to see him. Mrs. Hudson was the first to arrive with a thermos of soup in tow. Yuki was later than before and only showed up in the afternoon. It wasn't until evening that Isaac peeked through the door.

"May I come in?" It seemed like Derek was getting ready to say no but Aiden reacted first.

"You can." Isaac looked relieved and entered the room carrying an envelope which he handed over to Aiden.

"Uh, this is the result of the blood test you wanted." Aiden calmly opened it up and read through the findings. It wasn't that he doubted what Isaac had told him but he had to be sure and he was after reading that the probability of paternity was 99.9%. He folded the paper back up and placed it back inside the envelope.

"I see. So, it's true then." Aiden had no idea what to think or feel. There was never any hope or expectation that he would ever find out who his father was or meet that person someday and yet, there he was, standing a mere arm's length away.

The reason Aiden didn't have a father growing up and the reason behind him being stuck with Lyla for all those years, it was all explained quite rationally. He couldn't bring himself to blame or resent Isaac for not being there because the man didn't even know that Aiden existed. Then what was he supposed to feel? Angry? Sad? Happy that they finally found each other? All Aiden felt was confusion.

"...Aiden?" He looked up when Isaac called his name. "Whatever you want to happen is fine. If you need some time, if you want to talk about anything, or…if you don't want to see me…"

"I…don't know what I want." Silence fell between them for a very long time. "...Why? The only thing I can think to ask is, why did my mother not tell you about me? But she's not here to answer it." Aiden unknowingly gripped the blanket as well as Derek's hand so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "Did she really not know what Lyla was like?! Did she think I'd be better off with someone like that?!" When he stopped thinking and just said whatever came to him in the moment, he found he had more anger bottled up inside than he thought. Isaac didn't know what to say.

It was frustrating. There was nothing Aiden or Isaac could do to change what had already happened. Neither of them knew what to do or how to proceed. Derek sighed and placed his free hand on Aiden's shoulder.

"So, you don't blame Isaac?" Aiden shook his head. "Then, do you want to get to know him?" Isaac held his breath while waiting to hear Aiden's response.

"...Yeah, I do."

"Alright then." Derek stood up. "I'll go get something to eat and let you two talk." As he walked towards the door, he stopped next to Isaac and whispered a warning. "Don't upset him. If he comes down with another fever, I won't let it slide." Then, Derek left the room leaving Isaac and Aiden alone. Isaac cleared his throat and sat down in one of the empty chairs.

"Ahem! So, uh, is there anything you want to know?"

"You said before that you're married and have a son my age. Do they know about me yet?"

"Ah, right to the difficult questions first. No, they don't know yet. It would be best if that woman didn't find out at all but I suppose it's only a matter of time now."

"What about the rest of your family? I'm guessing they're not just going to warmly welcome me with open arms. What kind of relationship are you expecting with me?" Aiden asked skeptically.

"Honestly, I have no idea how the family will react but I can confidently say that I'm not the same as I was when I was younger. No matter what they think, I can handle them. And I'm not expecting anything. Of course, I would be extremely happy to be able to get to know you and be a family but there's no pressure."

"Then, you don't want to be just a biological father but my…dad?"

"Well," Isaac hesitated slightly. "If you'll let me, then, yes." A few minutes passed without Aiden saying anything and Isaac started to worry. Had he rushed things?

"I…I don't know what that means." Aiden had his head lowered and he stared at his blankets as he spoke in a quieter voice than usual. "I've never had anyone I considered a parent or anything even remotely similar. I basically raised myself. I don't know what a relationship with a parent is supposed to be like."

"It's not something you have to think too hard about. I just want to know more about you, to be there for you if you need me or just be someone you can talk to if you're having a hard time. You don't have to worry so much about what typical relationships between parents and their children are like. How about we just start with getting to know one another?"

"Okay." Aiden nodded. "So, um, what do you want to know?"

The pair of father and son spoke casually for a long time after that. Neither of them asked anything too personal and instead focused on the basics. Aiden avoided asking anything that could be connected to other family members or about his mother and Isaac specifically avoided questions that pried too much into Aiden's childhood. They had plenty of time so there was no need to go digging up painful memories.

Eventually, Derek returned to the room and he was both annoyed and glad that Aiden was getting along with Isaac. He sat back down next to Aiden but stayed out of their conversation. He wanted to be there as emotional support if needed but he didn't want to interrupt their father-son bonding time.

Before long, the sun had set and a nurse came to tell them that visiting hours were ending. Isaac stood up but didn't leave right away. He looked like he had something on his mind but wasn't sure if he should bring it up or not.

"What is it?" Aiden asked.

"I was wondering if, maybe, I could give you a hug? It's fine if you don't want to though. I don't want to make you uncomfortable." The atmosphere around them got a little awkward but in the end, Aiden decided to let him.

"It's fine. You can if you want." Isaac looked both relieved and happy. He gently hugged Aiden and said his goodbyes.

"I'll get going then. Is it alright if I come back to visit again tomorrow?" Aiden nodded causing Isaac to smile. "Alright then, goodnight."

"...Goodnight." When Isaac was gone, Aiden heaved a sigh.

"You okay?" Derek asked as he took Aiden's hand again.

"Yeah, I think so. It's just that a lot happened today. It's all a bit overwhelming."

"Here, scoot over a bit." Derek helped Aiden move to the side just enough for Derek to have the room to lay down next to him. He carefully wrapped his arms around Aiden and moved one of his hands in a circular motion on his back.

The warmth of his arms and Derek's natural scent enveloped Aiden almost like a second hug. He snuggled closer to Derek's chest and felt his entire body relax in the comfort around him. Aiden closed his eyes and soon drifted off into a peaceful sleep.