The first thing that Baekhyun felt when he opened his eyes was that he couldn't quite feel his whole body. The first thing that he saw was the white ceiling. The first thing that he smelt was the smell of medicine. The first thing that he heard was the sound of Chanyeol screeching, Jongdae's loud cackle, and a hoarse voice he didn't recognize. 

Chanyeol.

He faintly remembered what happened before he out. 

Kyungsoo and Sehun. They must be very worried.

Garnering all the strength he could muster, Baekhyun tried to at least sat up. Chanyeol who was engaged in a conversation with his friend and the other occupant of the room caught his husband's faint movements from the corner of his eyes. With lightning speed he rushed to his husband's side, immediately assisting him by holding Baekhyun's limp body and stuffing a pillow behind his back, allowing him to sit comfortably. The other two adults paused their conversation to watch the warm scene unfold as Chanyeol sat himself beside his husband, softly pulling him in an embrace.

"How are you feeling, Baek?" Chanyeol whispered softly, caressing his husband's cheek and kissing the crown of his head tenderly. Baekhyun leaned to the reporter's touch lovingly. "I cannot feel anything, Yeol. This is the hospital, right? What happened?" Chanyeol didn't answer, only tightening his hold on Baekhyun, burying his face on the smaller's hair. He wanted to feel that Baekhyun was really there with him, all fine and real, after all the fright he felt all afternoon and evening. Feeling that his husband wouldn't give him any answer at the moment, he looked around the room, only to find his sons snuggling together on a couch at the corner, sleeping soundly. His lips formed a small smile as he saw that his babies were okay. Turning his head again, he found Jongdae sitting on a stool beside an elderly man with bandages all around his body sitting on his bed. Understanding that Chanyeol wouldn't be able to form any answers for the ill man, Jongdae chuckled and excused himself to the elder man, approaching his long time best friends. 

"What happened, Dae?" Baek inquired, weak hands caressing his husband's arm soothingly. "Well," Jongdae mused, "there's actually bad news and good news. But it's not my place to tell. You should wait for this doofus to recover from his shock and fright, dude. But I gotta say you really gave us a fright, Byun." "Park," Chanyeol muttered, gaining the attention of the other two, "he's a Park now, Dae." Rolling his eyes, Jongdae mumbled a distracted 'yeah, yeah' while sitting at the edge of the bed. "Anyway, you collapsed then fainted at home, Baek. Then the kids went to get me and Park, and we brought you here. By the way you can't feel anything because Doctor Kim gave you local anesthesia for your stomach and maybe you kinda feel weak so you can't really feel your other body parts."

"And?" Baekhyun asked, "what's the verdict? Did I eat something wrong or something? He gave me some medicine prescription, right? I can't wait to get home. The kids must've been real tired."

"Actually," Chanyeol muttered slowly, knowing that his husband didn't really like being in a hospital after Jongdae's mother passed away because of illness when they were in college - neither were him and Jongdae, actually, "you won't be able to go home for at least another week." 

A screeching 'WHAT?!' came out of Baekhyun's mouth, causing Chanyeol to cover his ears with gritted teeth.

"Why?! Why can't I go home?! I still have to teach on Monday, you know?!"

"About that... I think we have to file a leave for you for a while, Baek. And a transfer for Chanyeol too," Jongdae muttered, looking at Chanyeol squarely. The taller sighed, "I know. We'll talk about that tomorrow. I actually planned on asking for a transfer too, don't worry." 

"What? What transfer are you talking about? And what leave?! I'm not staying here and it's final! I was probably too tired or something so I fainted! You're talking as if I got a stadium 4 cancer! Which I know I don't!" Baekhyun continued screeching, throwing furious glares at his husband and best friend. "Baek, Baek, calm down, honey," Chanyeol whispered soothingly, caressing his husband's arms. "What do you mean, calm down! How can I calm down!" Baekhyun raised his voice unconsciously, then realized something and regretted his actions immediately when he saw his babies starting to wake up. The two boys rubbed their eyes tiredly, yawning while looking around sluggishly. When their eyes landed on their daddy sitting at the bed, their faces brightened instantly, all traces of sleepiness gone. They scrambled to their feet and ran towards the bed.

"Daddy!" they chorused, throwing their bodies into Baekhyun's open arms. "Oh boys," Baekhyun chuckled, hugging his sons close and snuggling his face in their hair, "Sorry for making you worried, guys." "Are you okay, now, dad?" Sehun inquired, face visibly relieved. Ruffling his hair, Baekhyun chortled, "I'm a-okay, now, Hun." "But your appa and uncle won't let me come home," he added, giving the other two the stink eye. Kyungsoo and Sehun looked up to see their dad's irritated face.

Kyungsoo gulped. "But you really can't, dad," he said slowly, knowing his dad's utter hate for hospitals. The frown on Baekhyun's forehead deepened even more. "Now you guys started speaking nonsense too. What even they said about me, hm?!" he challenged, folding his arms. The other four kept silent, wanting to break the news to the ill man as soon as possible but having a hard time forming the words. Saying 'Dad, you're kinda pregnant but you're kinda ill too so you should rest for the whole nine months' right from the get go would bring catastrophe. They knew the man well enough to know that he hated being idle and doing nothing the most, and they weren't knowledgeable enough in the field to be able to explain the urgency and importance of a rest well enough to the man. If they explained wrongly, Baekhyun would overthink and panic. "Well?!"

"You really should calm down, boy," the elder man across Baekhyun's bed finally said, tone warm, "being angry and stressed will be bad for the baby."

Baekhyun instantly stiffened.

"Baby?" he whispered, looking quizzically at Chanyeol, eyes wide and mouth agape, "What baby?"

"Baek," Chanyeol sighed, running his hand on his hair, "Just rest for now, hm? It's one in the morning and we can't really explain the matter to you well. Later in the morning a doctor will come to examine you and explain the situation. Let's wait for him, okay?"

"What baby?," he insisted, eyes boring holes through Chanyeol's head.

"You're pregnant, dad," Sehun finally said, clutching at his daddy's shirt, "But doctor said you have illness too. I don't really understand, but you should rest for now."

Baekhyun processed his youngest's words hard. He's pregnant. Pregnant. 

He was feeling elated, thoroughly joyed even, but the word 'ill' prevented him from expressing any form of happiness. He's ill, and if he's ill, it would be dangerous for the baby. His baby might not survive, might not be healthy.

Attacked by various emotions at the same time, Baekhyun started hyperventilating. The others in the room instantly panicked. "I- I- Baby-" the pregnant man struggled to form words between his gasps, "My baby- No no no my baby- can't be sick!" Chanyeol hurriedly caught Baekhyun in a tight embrace, hugging him tight and whispering soothing words for his husband, but Baekhyun didn't seem to hear or feel him. Jongdae immediately pushed the nurse button while the two boys ran outside to get a nurse or doctor as fast as possible. A male doctor and female nurse came shortly after, bringing a set of medical supplies with them.

"Please lay him down on the bed, Sir. We'll give him a calming injection," the girly looking doctor said, taking out a syringe from a tray. Chanyeol did as told, laying his husband down while caressing his head to help calm him. The doctor injected the medicine through Baekhyun's arm, and the male visibly relaxed. His eyelids suddenly felt very heavy.

"He should be fine for now. He'll sleep and wake up tomorrow," the doctor said, facing his patient's visitors, "call me again if anything happens. Good night for now." With a nod towards the family and the other patient in the room, the doctor and nurse walked out of the room. The Parks, Jongdae, and the elderly heaved a relieved sigh. 

A tug on his sleeve brohght Chanyeol's attention back to his husband. "Yeol, baby... Our baby..." Baek muttered, voice soft laced with fear. "It's okay, Baek. We're gonna be fine. Our baby too. Just sleep for now," Chanyeol whispered, caressing Baekhyun's head and planted a kiss on his forehead. Baekhyun drowned in the loving gesture and finally drifted off to sleep, dreaming of babies all night long.