Though Johnny was supposed to be on leave of absence, the rash of fires in Rhy'Din was keeping the Fire Brigades busy, and he had been called in more than once to help. Tonight was no exception as more fires broke out in Rhy'Din, presumably the act of arson. Johnny wasn't usually one to complain, but between Liv being pregnant, four kids to take care of, and the constant string of arsons, Johnny was nearing exhaustion. He didn't even have the energy to fly in and announce he was home with his usual vigor. He just pushed in through the front door, covered in soot and dirt and sweat, looking weary and perhaps just a little bit angry.
As soon as the door opened, the usually raucous atmosphere of the house reached out to envelop him, apparently gleefully focused on Mummy until the moment Daddy got home. He got a fleeting glimpse of Fliss lunging out through the living room door in a failed attempt to catch Maria before his youngest daughter was overtaken by a child that wasn't his, who threw her arms around his waist and declared loudly, "The Burny Man's having a baby!"
Huffing her silent giggles, Maria wrapped herself around Johnny's waist from the other side to Lyneth as Fliss pushed herself up from where she had landed on the floor.
The teenager rolled her eyes. "You are way too perky, Lynnie."
Obviously surprised by the greeting, especially from a child that wasn't his own, he glanced down at Lyneth, careful not to touch her for fear of smearing soot on her face. "Uh ....Hello to you, too." He looked over to find Maria hugging his other side. He would have plucked them both up from the floor, if he wasn't covered in soot and dirt. It wasn't the greeting so much that surprised him as it was observation that he was having a baby. "Actually, Liv is having a baby. I'm just along for the ride." He looked over at Fliss. "Is there something going on I should know about?"
Fliss waved a hand at him with a smile. "Mom had a panic, don't worry," she assured him. "Lucky Piper was here, or you'd have got a phone call." Climbing onto her feet, she grabbed her little sister, reaching out to tickle Lyneth into letting go of Johnny. "Alex is kind of glued to Mom's bump right now."
"Where's Lucas?" he asked, wanting to account for the final member of their household, who had become one of the family, whether he liked it or not. "Livvie!" he called, wondering where she was exactly. "I'm home!" he called as he stepped further inside. It wasn't really unusual to find any of the other Granger children at their house, as they often got together for playdates and such, and though Fliss had told him not to worry, he couldn't help it. It had been a long day already, and all he wanted was a shower and dinner and to relax with his family.
"Doing laundry," Fliss snickered. She'd been laughing on and off about Lucas taking the first opportunity to escape the stressful tension in the living room, even if it had been to do an unexpected load of laundry.
Liv's voice called from the living room. "In here, sweetheart!" She'd obviously been forcibly inserted onto one of the couches, wearing different clothes than she had been when he'd left, and Piper was busily soaking and scrubbing the cushion from one of the armchairs.
Lyneth's mother looked up at Johnny with a reassuring smile. "Good grief, you look tired."
Tired or not, he was confused as to what was going on in his living room. He looked from Liv to Piper with a confused look on his face, though everyone seemed in good spirits, which was reassuring. Everyone but him anyway. "Would someone care to tell me what?s going on?" Though Lyneth had already spilled the beans, Johnny didn't seem to have gotten the hint.
Liv caught Piper's eye and blushed, obviously deeply embarrassed by something. She gently patted Alexei's hand. "Why don't you go and find the girls and play for bit, love?" she suggested to the little boy. "Daddy's here now, he can look after me."
Alexei frowned, serious about his role as man of the house when his father wasn't there, though he was just a small boy and Lucas was older. "Will you be all right?" he asked her, with obvious concern. It was no secret that he adored his mother and wanted to help.
Liv smiled, stroking her hand through her little boy's hair. "I'll be fine," she promised him fondly. "Things like this happen when pregnant women are very nearly all the way there. I know I panicked, and I'm sorry I worried you, but we should thank Piper for making sure we didn't all turn into screaming fools, shouldn't we?"
"Thank you, Mrs. Piper," Alex told Piper dutifully, at his mother's reminder. There were too many Mrs. Grangers at Maple Grove, and so they had settled on first names. "Love you, Mom!" he said, touching a kiss to her cheek before darting away, pausing a moment to give his father a hug. "Wow, Dad, you stink!"
"You're very welcome, Alex," Piper smiled at the young boy, snorting to keep her laughter in check at Alex's greeting to his father.
Liv chuckled herself, pushing up onto her feet to embrace her husband. "Come into the kitchen, sweetheart," she told Johnny. "I promise, you have nothing to worry about. I overreacted somewhat, that's all."
"I love you, too, Alex!" Johnny replied with a chuckle. Despite his long day, it was always a treat to come home to his family. He waited until the boy was out of sight before looking back to the pair of women, that worried expression on his face again. "Is everything all right' Is the baby okay?"
"The baby's fine," Liv promised him, curling her arm about his waist. "I, um ....I may have had a slight temper tantrum about all these sudden fires taking you away from home so much recently, and panicked a bit when I thought I was going into labor." She shrugged innocently as she looked up at him, trying not to look at the wet cushion Piper was dealing with.
That didn't really explain the wet cushion, and he was still looking a little puzzled as he looked from one to the other, his gaze settling on Liv as she curled an arm around his waist and he steered her toward the kitchen. "You thought you were going into labor" But you're not really, right?" he asked, a touch of panic in his eyes. For a man who could stand up to dragons and villains and fires, he looked terrified that his wife might be going into labor - an event that was going to happen sooner or later, whether he was ready for it or not.
"No, no, I'm not," she assured him, acutely aware of Piper watching them as they moved away. If the other woman hadn't arrived when she did, Liv might well have been on her way to the hospital. "I ....I thought my waters had broken, but ..." She sighed, rolling her eyes as she finished. "It turned out I just wet myself." And oh, how mortifying it was to have to say that out loud. Worse, that all the kids had seen it happen.
Johnny furrowed his brows as he took all this in. "You ....Wait, did you say you wet yourself?" he repeated, unsure if he'd heard her right. They had taken birthing classes, but nothing had quite prepared him for this.
Grimacing, Liv turned an even darker shade of red. "Yes, that's what I said," she muttered. "That's why Lucas is doing laundry and Piper's cleaning a chair, Johnny. And I am horrifically embarrassed by the whole thing."
He had to bite back a chuckle, so as not to embarrass her further. He did have a heart, after all, and he loved his Liv more than anything. "Oh, baby," he said, pulling her close, despite the grime he was wearing. "It's okay. We're gonna have to deal with more than that when the baby comes." Like spit up and vomit and poopy diapers, just to name a few.
As soon as the door opened, the usually raucous atmosphere of the house reached out to envelop him, apparently gleefully focused on Mummy until the moment Daddy got home. He got a fleeting glimpse of Fliss lunging out through the living room door in a failed attempt to catch Maria before his youngest daughter was overtaken by a child that wasn't his, who threw her arms around his waist and declared loudly, "The Burny Man's having a baby!"
Huffing her silent giggles, Maria wrapped herself around Johnny's waist from the other side to Lyneth as Fliss pushed herself up from where she had landed on the floor.
The teenager rolled her eyes. "You are way too perky, Lynnie."
Obviously surprised by the greeting, especially from a child that wasn't his own, he glanced down at Lyneth, careful not to touch her for fear of smearing soot on her face. "Uh ....Hello to you, too." He looked over to find Maria hugging his other side. He would have plucked them both up from the floor, if he wasn't covered in soot and dirt. It wasn't the greeting so much that surprised him as it was observation that he was having a baby. "Actually, Liv is having a baby. I'm just along for the ride." He looked over at Fliss. "Is there something going on I should know about?"
Fliss waved a hand at him with a smile. "Mom had a panic, don't worry," she assured him. "Lucky Piper was here, or you'd have got a phone call." Climbing onto her feet, she grabbed her little sister, reaching out to tickle Lyneth into letting go of Johnny. "Alex is kind of glued to Mom's bump right now."
"Where's Lucas?" he asked, wanting to account for the final member of their household, who had become one of the family, whether he liked it or not. "Livvie!" he called, wondering where she was exactly. "I'm home!" he called as he stepped further inside. It wasn't really unusual to find any of the other Granger children at their house, as they often got together for playdates and such, and though Fliss had told him not to worry, he couldn't help it. It had been a long day already, and all he wanted was a shower and dinner and to relax with his family.
"Doing laundry," Fliss snickered. She'd been laughing on and off about Lucas taking the first opportunity to escape the stressful tension in the living room, even if it had been to do an unexpected load of laundry.
Liv's voice called from the living room. "In here, sweetheart!" She'd obviously been forcibly inserted onto one of the couches, wearing different clothes than she had been when he'd left, and Piper was busily soaking and scrubbing the cushion from one of the armchairs.
Lyneth's mother looked up at Johnny with a reassuring smile. "Good grief, you look tired."
Tired or not, he was confused as to what was going on in his living room. He looked from Liv to Piper with a confused look on his face, though everyone seemed in good spirits, which was reassuring. Everyone but him anyway. "Would someone care to tell me what?s going on?" Though Lyneth had already spilled the beans, Johnny didn't seem to have gotten the hint.
Liv caught Piper's eye and blushed, obviously deeply embarrassed by something. She gently patted Alexei's hand. "Why don't you go and find the girls and play for bit, love?" she suggested to the little boy. "Daddy's here now, he can look after me."
Alexei frowned, serious about his role as man of the house when his father wasn't there, though he was just a small boy and Lucas was older. "Will you be all right?" he asked her, with obvious concern. It was no secret that he adored his mother and wanted to help.
Liv smiled, stroking her hand through her little boy's hair. "I'll be fine," she promised him fondly. "Things like this happen when pregnant women are very nearly all the way there. I know I panicked, and I'm sorry I worried you, but we should thank Piper for making sure we didn't all turn into screaming fools, shouldn't we?"
"Thank you, Mrs. Piper," Alex told Piper dutifully, at his mother's reminder. There were too many Mrs. Grangers at Maple Grove, and so they had settled on first names. "Love you, Mom!" he said, touching a kiss to her cheek before darting away, pausing a moment to give his father a hug. "Wow, Dad, you stink!"
"You're very welcome, Alex," Piper smiled at the young boy, snorting to keep her laughter in check at Alex's greeting to his father.
Liv chuckled herself, pushing up onto her feet to embrace her husband. "Come into the kitchen, sweetheart," she told Johnny. "I promise, you have nothing to worry about. I overreacted somewhat, that's all."
"I love you, too, Alex!" Johnny replied with a chuckle. Despite his long day, it was always a treat to come home to his family. He waited until the boy was out of sight before looking back to the pair of women, that worried expression on his face again. "Is everything all right' Is the baby okay?"
"The baby's fine," Liv promised him, curling her arm about his waist. "I, um ....I may have had a slight temper tantrum about all these sudden fires taking you away from home so much recently, and panicked a bit when I thought I was going into labor." She shrugged innocently as she looked up at him, trying not to look at the wet cushion Piper was dealing with.
That didn't really explain the wet cushion, and he was still looking a little puzzled as he looked from one to the other, his gaze settling on Liv as she curled an arm around his waist and he steered her toward the kitchen. "You thought you were going into labor" But you're not really, right?" he asked, a touch of panic in his eyes. For a man who could stand up to dragons and villains and fires, he looked terrified that his wife might be going into labor - an event that was going to happen sooner or later, whether he was ready for it or not.
"No, no, I'm not," she assured him, acutely aware of Piper watching them as they moved away. If the other woman hadn't arrived when she did, Liv might well have been on her way to the hospital. "I ....I thought my waters had broken, but ..." She sighed, rolling her eyes as she finished. "It turned out I just wet myself." And oh, how mortifying it was to have to say that out loud. Worse, that all the kids had seen it happen.
Johnny furrowed his brows as he took all this in. "You ....Wait, did you say you wet yourself?" he repeated, unsure if he'd heard her right. They had taken birthing classes, but nothing had quite prepared him for this.
Grimacing, Liv turned an even darker shade of red. "Yes, that's what I said," she muttered. "That's why Lucas is doing laundry and Piper's cleaning a chair, Johnny. And I am horrifically embarrassed by the whole thing."
He had to bite back a chuckle, so as not to embarrass her further. He did have a heart, after all, and he loved his Liv more than anything. "Oh, baby," he said, pulling her close, despite the grime he was wearing. "It's okay. We're gonna have to deal with more than that when the baby comes." Like spit up and vomit and poopy diapers, just to name a few.