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"She can handle him," Zach said calmly. He rubbed Caleb's temples with his thumbs, slow soothing circles. "Just close your eyes and relax your body. Noah and Jen are fine. I've got you so you will be fine."
Zach gently massaged Caleb's tight neck and shoulders, keeping quiet and hoping the pills would kick in. Caleb had said that the massaging helped and Zach never minded doing it. Seeing Caleb in pain was one of his least favorite things.
And very selfishly he needed him for this interview today. He might act perfectly confident about how this was going to go but a large part of him was afraid that he was going to lose the career he had worked so hard for because he was having a child. If he was just a normal guy having a baby, most people wouldn't look twice. But he was Zach Martin. Movie studios banked on his masculinity and looks to bring in consumers. Having a baby could ruin that. He was lucky that being gay hadn't ruined that for him as it was.
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It seemed to take a little over an hour for Caleb's body to even remotely relax, but with that relaxation also came that much needed relief - The migraine was still there, but it was nothing compared to what it had been at the breakfast table. The doorbell had rung about thirty minutes prior, signaling that Sam had arrived for the interview, but neither Caleb nor Zach left the room. Jen did come upstairs to inform them, but she didn't stay long in the room.
Now, since Caleb was feeling more like himself again, he slowly sat up with Zach's assistance, and the first thing they did - always did - was turn on the lamp by Caleb's side of the bed to see if the light sensitivity was gone -- That was the worst symptom, aside from the physical migraine itself, the light sensitivity made Caleb's headaches feel even more debilitating.
With the light on, Caleb slowly opened his eyes, tears leaking out from having had them clenched tightly "Okay..." he whispered hoarsely, nodding his head minutely "Lights are fine... I think I'm over the worst of it now." Still there was that off-chance of Caleb getting sick, because the migraine was still there... But things were looking better for them already "Ready to go downstairs now?" Caleb asked quietly.
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"Only if you are," Zach said, wiping tears from Caleb's face gently. "Let me get you dressed. You just stay right here." He kissed his forehead gently before carefully getting out of bed to get the clothes Caleb had picked out but hadn't gotten a chance to put on yet.
Zach and Noah were in matching navy polos and jeans but Caleb had a turquoise top and skintight white jeans picked out. He would look ridiculous if he tried to dress like Zach and Noah. Zach was glad that he wasn't trying to. He dressed him carefully, moving him as little as possible. Getting the jeans on meant getting him out of bed, but Caleb was able to stand without much trouble thankfully.
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Once his jeans were on, Caleb sat back down on the edge of the bed, taking a second to breathe and find his equilibrium again. His forehead resting on the curve of Zach's stomach, as Zach continued massaging his neck, shoulders, and the back of his head.
It took another five minutes before Caleb was able to stand up again, but he was getting better by the second. His face no longer pale, and his hands no longer trembling. "Okay... I'm ready now." Caleb said quietly, biting his lip as the duo started shuffling toward the door, then the stairs.
By the time they got downstairs, they both had to smile - Noah was sitting in Sam's lap, talking in half English and half baby-babble to the man. Leo was close by, keeping a very close and protective eye on the stranger who had his Little Master.
Leo wasn't exactly thrilled, and when he saw Zach, he trotted over to him and wuffled quietly, hairs on the back of his neck standing up slightly. Caleb chuckled softly "It's okay, Leo... Sam is a good guy, you don't have to worry about him taking Noah." Caleb said quietly, reaching down to scratch behind Leo's ears.
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Sam looked over at them when Noah happily shouted Daddy in his ear. His eyes widened when he saw Zach and he looked over at Jen who had only told him that Zach wanted to do an exclusive with him about his career, not that Zach was revealing that he was pregnant. Jen gave him a little smile.
"Surprise," Jen said with a shrug. "That's why I said bring a photographer."
"Hi Sam," Zach said, coming over to shake his hand and pick up Noah. He balanced Noah on his hip which just accentuated his belly. "We're glad you could come out to LA for this."
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Sam shook Zach's hand and smiled warmly "Well, now that I know the full story - I'm glad I didn't miss it! This is my photographer, and husband, Dean." Sam said, waving his husband over - he was about the same size, height, and weight as Caleb, and if the duo didn't have different facial features; you'd have thought they were twins. They had the same color hair, same length too - same colored eyes and... it really was just uncanny.
Caleb slowly shuffled across the living room floor, shaking Dean and then Sam's hand happily "I may not be of..." he closed his eyes and swore under his breath "Of much use... I'm just coming down from a terrible migraine and..." he couldn't explain it any further then that. He swayed slightly and turned quickly to drop into the couch, clutching his head with one hand and stomach with the other.
Jen was quick on her feet - having been around every time that Caleb had a migraine - and grabbed the trash can, placing it between Caleb's feet.
It was embarrassing and Caleb hated himself for it, but he honestly had no control over these bastardly migraines. Throwing up did make all of the pain and tension disappear though, and although he was sweating and pale, when he finally looked up from his hunched over position, he looked pretty normal again.
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Zach handed Noah to Jen and rubbed Caleb's back as he threw up. When he was done, Zach grabbed the trashcan and took it to the kitchen to rinse it out before coming back with a glass of water and a damp washcloth. He wiped Caleb's face before giving him the water. "Just sip it."
Zach gave Sam and Dean a wry smile. "He's had them since Noah was born. One of the lingering effects of the pregnancy for him. We keep hoping they'll go away but so far no luck."
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Dean frowned and bit his lip "I had the same exact problem when I had our first... My doctor suggested a shot of Ventadryl - it's not a cure-all for migraines, but it's a yearly shot that is supposed to reduce them and make the symptoms less... debilitating. It's been four years since and I've only had five migraines since then..." Dean said helpfully, his bright eyes shining happily at the hopes of being able to help someone other than his husband.
Caleb smiled weakly as he sipped at his water "Hm.. I wonder why... Dr. Evans never said anything about it." Caleb hummed thoughtfully and shook his head "I'll bring it up with my doctor at the next appointment we have... Thanks!" Caleb was still rather quiet, but his normal exuberance and cheerfulness was starting to return.
Sam rolled his eyes "Shall we get on with the interview? I have a feeling if we let our dear husband's continue to talk... we'll never get this done on time." Sam yelped when Dean slapped him in the arm "What? You can talk *after* the interview... I am sure that Caleb and Zach would also like to get this done with."
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Zach laughed and settled on the couch next to Caleb. Noah was playing with Leo and Jen was keeping an eye on him and the interview at the same time.
"The general purpose of the article is going to announce that I am pregnant. I'm not planning on hiding away for the next few months in an attempt to placate Hollywood's ideas about what a man should or should not do. I am thrilled to be having a child with my husband and don't think it's something I should be ashamed of. So go ahead and ask what you want," Zach said with a grin. "I know this wasn't what you were expecting but I'm pretty sure you can think of a few things on the fly."
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Sam nodded his head and smiled as he pulled out a clipboard from his brief case "I've actually had to do this, once before. It was for a female, however, because she was afraid of what people may have thought of her... being a single mother and all." Sam said as he flipped through the pages of his clipboard and nodded "Got it. I'll have to change the wording around a bit, but it's otherwise pretty straight-forward."
Sam looked up at Zach "I have a total of ten questions, once I'm done I'll elaborate and make it an actual article. And then I would love to get a few family shots, and just some single shots of you - Is that perfectly acceptable?"
While Sam and Zach talked, Dean ambled around with his photography equipment, taking candid shots of Noah and Leo playing, as well as some of the interview that was already starting to take place.
Caleb was still feeling pretty out of it, head on Zach's shoulder and a blanket pulled tight around his body. He still had a few shakes running through his body, his temperature having dropped lower than normal - it was all "normal" for him though, after coming down from a migraine as severe as that one had been.
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Zach kept Caleb pulled close to him while he and Sam talked. He felt better just having him close, felt instantly braver because Caleb was by his side. His husband couldn't have babies anymore and he could. There was no reason to hide the fact.
"We found out when I was filming," Zach admitted. "I was probably the worst I've ever been on set because I was so sick and didn't realize why. I was throwing up, exhausted, moody, could barely eat. The only time I was any good was when the cameras were on. I ended up having to bow out of so much stunt work too. At first it was because it made me sick but once we found out I was pregnant, it was for the baby's protection. I can't thank the rest of the cast and crew of Danger Zone: Red enough for the way they supported me and rallied around me during filming. Everyone knew something was wrong even before we knew what it was. We've even been in contact with the studio and they're still planning to push the film. They could have buried it but they're still going forward with it. It's a good movie so I'm glad about that."
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Sam smiled warmly at Zach, he directed his husband into taking pictures of Zach and Caleb snuggled together as they were - no doubt pictures would be up about it, speaking on the close relationship between the couple "I know we can't wait for it to come out. It's been projected as this fall's top rated release." Sam said happily, almost proudly - it was a fatherly type of pride, and it made sense, since Sam was nearly twenty years their junior - even Dean was around their age, but... to each their own.
Caleb sniffled and poked his head out from beneath the blanket, "Do I have to be apart of the pictures?" he asked quietly, blinking wetly up at Zach.
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"It will be interesting promoting it," Zach admitted. "I'm due one month before we start the press junket for it. Hopefully everything will go smoothly with the birth and I'll be okay to do the traveling."
He kissed the top of Caleb's head gently. "I'd like you to be. You look beautiful."
"I'm just getting Zach mostly," Dean said helpfully. "Basically your face is hidden in his shoulder for most of the shots."
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Caleb nodded and curled up again, bringing his knees up high and underneath his chin. "Good." he whispered and closed his eyes, ducking back underneath the safety of his blanket. It was unusual for Caleb to be as shy as he was right now, but he had never been that good with lime-light pictures; especially when he wasn't feeling so great.
Sam smiled and shook his head lightly, flipping the pages of his clipboard around a bit "I think we've covered the basics of your pregnancy, quite well, Zach. With the information you've provided, I can write a great article... Shine a lot of light on the controversy that is the Pregnant Male Actor stigma, and hopefully it'll garner the right attention we're looking for." Sam said as he stood up and looked over at Noah.
"I would really love to get at least one *decent* family shot of the four of you - Leo included. And then maybe just some pictures of you and Noah, and then you by yourself. Dean has a backdrop ready in the dining room that we can use for the shots..."
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Zach looked at Caleb pleadingly. "Just a couple. Please? Jen brought makeup to put on us so we'll look good in the posed shots."
Jen nodded. "It will just take me a minute to get them ready then you can take all the posed shots you want. I know you'll retouch as well but Caleb's so pale naturally it helps to get a little bit of a base on him in photos."
Dean nodded, holding his camera on his shoulder. "Sure. I definitely want a belly shot in here. How comfortable are you with showing your belly?"
Zach chewed his lip. "We'll see. Maybe."
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Caleb sighed and nodded tiredly, managing to get up and on a straight-back chair so Jen could fuss with his make-up; she even helpfully braided his hair the way he liked it, having it hanging down a little against the nape of his neck. Getting up and moving around again, Caleb actually started feeling a little better, too.
He lifted Noah up and onto his hip, and then they went into the dining room to start the posed shots. Of course, it was funny, having Caleb so short, and belly-worshipping Zach's stomach, when Zach was so much taller than Caleb. The best pose was just the two of them, their foreheads together and creating a heart between their bodies - Caleb had his hands on either side of Zach's stomach, while Zach was holding onto Caleb's hips.
Noah wasn't exactly enthused to have his picture taken, or to be held and passed back and forth between Zach and Caleb like a football. They managed to get *one* good shot of the entire family, and they then had to let Noah run free again, as he was starting to get fussy and agitated. Now they were on a short break, for both of them - Caleb having lost his second wind, and Zach just being winded from all the moving around.
Dean smiled "So, how you feeling about those bare belly shots?"
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Zach put a hand on his belly, looking down at it for a long moment. He'd never been shy about his body in the past. Yeah, it looked different right now but he looked good. He looked how he was supposed to look being pregnant. He stripped off his shirt and rolled his shoulders, showing off his still impressive upper body a little.
"Okay, but these are just going to be me. I think Caleb is done. And I want to see them before you publish them because I might change my mind about them actually being out there," Zach said. He put both hands on his hips, his jeans slung low. "So how do you want me?"
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Dean giggled and pointed to the 'X' on the backdrop flooring sheet "Right there is good, in that exact pose." Dean waited for Zach to get into position - he wanted a few 'Masculine' shots, and then a few that were more 'motherly' in a sense.
"I think the masculine shots will be great - showing off that you can still be a 'Manly man' and be pregnant at the same time, as opposed to me and Caleb who aren't exactly in the category of 'manly men'" Dean explained as he loaded a new battery and SD card into the camera "But then we'll also do the more mom-like shots, you holding your belly, looking down at it in a loving manner..." he waved his camera aimlessly as he spoke, and then started clicking away with more pictures of Zach in a few different poses.
Caleb smiled and sat curled up in one of the dining room chairs as he watched Zach do all the poses that Dean wanted him to do, it was actually pretty cute and hilarious to see Zach doing the more maternal poses, it did not fit his body style, at all. "I want several of these pictures... They will make nice wallpaper for the living room." Caleb teased with a smile on his face.
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Zach stuck his tongue out at him, his face scrunched up. Dean took that shot as well, laughing a little. "If we put mine up, I'm putting the ones of you up," Zach retorted. "We have adorable ones of you with your belly painted, remember? And with Leo's paw print in the paint? I should show you guys that. It's so cute. I'm holding him bridal style. Jen, you know where that is. Can you find that?"
Jen laughed but headed out of the room to look for Noah's baby book which had all of Caleb's paternity photos in it. They were really cute.
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Caleb rolled his eyes and groaned dramatically "Can I help it if I looked adorable while I was pregnant?" he asked sarcastically, shrugging his shoulders. It had been a while since seeing Noah's baby book - they used to look at it every night when Noah was born, seeing the progress of which Caleb went through, to what they had now. But as Noah got older and more active, it was just difficult to get any good pictures of him - there was however a lot of writing in it, some by Caleb and some by Zach.
Jen returned only a few moments later, setting the large binder-style book down on the dining room table, flipping it open to the first page "I think that one has to be my favorite." Jen said, pointing at the very first photograph - it was of Caleb and Zach on their first 'official' date after finding out they were going to have a baby - it was a picture taken by paparazzi's and Zach had managed to track the original poster down and offered a lump of cash to have the original shots.
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