[hockeypreg2]

Zach came over and flipped through a few more pages to the shot he was talking about. It was incredibly dramatic, Caleb's large belly painted like a rainbow with Leo's paw print in it, Caleb being held in Zach's arms and Leo on his hind legs and his paws on Zach's hip. Zach smiled happily at it.

"This is the one I was talking about," he said, showing it off to Sam and Dean. "But this is my favorite."

Zach flipped a few pages further to one of the first pictures of Caleb and Noah together, Noah nursing and Caleb smiling down at him looking so happy and tired and full of love and wonder. "My absolute favorite. I took this one. Best picture I've ever taken in my life."

[Sam260]

Caleb shook his head and tugged the book closer to him "This is my favorite." he flipped several pages over, and grinned at the picture on the page - It was of Noah and Zach, just a few days after they brought him home. Zach was passed out on the couch, and Noah was laying on his bare chest, the only thing Noah was wearing was a tiny white diaper. Zach had one arm dangling off the couch, lazily resting on Leo's head, and the other carefully holding Noah's diapered bottom.

[hockeypreg2]

Zach leaned over and kissed him softly, smiling at Caleb with so much love and affection in his eyes. "I can't wait to get pictures like this again. We didn't think we were going to have any more biological children after Noah. Caleb had a lot of complications and it just isn't safe for him to have another baby." He put his hand on his belly, feeling the baby moving around. "We planned on adopting - still do - but to get to have another of our own is such a blessing."

[Sam260]

Sam seemed to perk up at the thought of adoption "We have four kids at home - two from my previous marriage - that are all up for adoption... Want them?" He asked teasingly, only to once again get slapped by Dean in the arm. Sam rolled his eyes and sighed loudly "Okay... But seriously - we should do a piece on the adoption idea... Not only would it give you some kudo points, but when an adoption agency person, no doubt, reads this article, they can be prepared for that!"

Caleb furrowed his brows in anger "Kudo points?! We're not adopting kids for any 'Kudos', Sam. We're doing it because we want to help children that are less fortunate!" Caleb snapped at the older man.

[hockeypreg2]

"We're not looking to adopt now and we'd rather keep that low profile," Zach said, putting a calming hand on Caleb's arm. "We're planning on fostering and taking the necessary steps to qualify as a foster family so we would appreciate not having that advertised."

[Sam260]

Sam seemed to visibly deflate upon getting yelled at by Caleb and then chastised by Zach "Right... I... Sorry, I understand - I won't even mention adoption or fostering in the article then. My lips are sealed, you have my word on that." Sam said, bowing his head in obvious shame.

Caleb sighed and rubbed the side of his neck sheepishly "I shouldn't have snapped at you like that, either... It's just - we want to do this for those kids, not for publicity reasons or anything. We're not trying to be like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, adopting a bunch of kids and parading them around like they're some sort of arm candy... That's just wrong and disgusting... No matter how hot Brad is."

[hockeypreg2]

"It's okay," Zach reassured him. "I don't want everything to be about my celebrity. Yeah, I can do good things with it but sometimes it's a pain in the ass."

Zach pulled his shirt back on, smoothing it over his belly. "I will be right back. Keep talking about how cute my butt is while I walk away." Zach winked at them as he headed to the bathroom, the baby having squirmed it's way onto his bladder.

[Sam260]

Sam and Dean stayed there at Caleb and Zach's well after dinner, the four men, Jen and Noah having a great time just chatting, eating snacks and acting as if they had been the best of friends for years. It was a little awkward at first to just have normal conversation with Sam and Dean, worried that what they said in their confidences might end up on paper somewhere, but Sam seemed to be 'off-the-clock' even going so far as to take his reporting equipment, and the camera equipment, back out to their rented van. Dean did, however, keep his camera and an extra SD card with him, wanting to get more natural candid shots of the entire family as they went through their day-to-day routine.

Now they had to worry about bedtime for Noah, who was hopped up on sugar because Jen kept feeding him Hershey Kisses throughout the day - like, she truly had an endless supply of them in her bag, and both Caleb and Zach tried telling her to stop but they couldn't stop her every time they turned their backs on the mischievous duo.

Caleb groaned and rubbed his temples as Noah ran through the living room like a mad man - he was wearing just his diaper, one sock, and somewhere along the last ten minutes he had lost the shirt he *was* wearing "Noah... pleaseee! It's bed-time, daddy still has a headache, and your papa isn't feeling all that well either!" Caleb tried reasoning with the hyper tot, but Noah completely ignored him -- Zach wasn't feeling all that great after ordering in Chinese for everyone to eat, having gotten something that was either spoiled or not cooked properly.

[hockeypreg2]

Zach groaned from the couch and watched as Noah did another lap. "Caleb, just let him go. He's got to wear himself out. I'll stay with him and get him to bed if you want to go lie down. I know your head is still hurting."

Zach pushed himself up to a sitting position and rubbed his stomach, making a face. "We are not getting food from there again. We'll find another Chinese place."

[Sam260]

Caleb shook his head from where he was half-laying on the couch "I'm not leaving you down here to suffer through this sugar rush. We're both feeling like crap, so we'll suffer through it together." Caleb said as he tugged the blanket that he had over him just a little tighter.

Caleb looked down the length of the couch at Zach and frowned "If you need to use the restroom, go... I'm sure we'll both be here when you get back."

Noah zoomed past them once again, Leo yelped and jumped out of the way of the rushing toddler. He whined and carefully made his way over to the couch, hoisting himself up and laying down between Zach and Caleb, practically hiding himself behind Caleb's legs and his back "Even Leo isn't enjoying the hyper-activity that our son has... And usually Leo can run circles around Noah."

[hockeypreg2]

"He'll crash eventually," Zach sighed and rubbed Leo's back. A moment later he pushed himself to his feet. "Yeah, bathroom. I'll be back." He sidestepped Noah and hurried to the bathroom.

It felt like ages but Zach finally emerged, feeling empty but better. Noah was still running around and both Caleb and Leo were now completely laying on the couch just watching him. Zach leaned over the back of the couch to look at them.

"Has he slowed down at all?"

[Sam260]

Caleb shook his head and held his fingers about a centimeter apart "About that much. He's still going strong. I'm tempted to just lock him in his bedroom... He'll eventually crash, and we can get some sleep." Caleb said quietly, nuzzling his cheek against Leo's back as they laid snuggled together on the couch.

Noah squealed excitedly as he made yet another pass through the living room, holding one of his rocket ships and a cow in his hands. Of course, there were several other toys littering the living room floor now, and Noah - despite having missed them numerous times before - tripped over one, his bare belly sliding across the carpet as he fell. At first he seemed perfectly fine.

Until he sat up on his rump. And that is when the all-out sobbing, tears and snot started running down his face, hands dropped to the ground and his entire body shaking with each vicious sob he let out - he had severe carpet burn on his stomach and his knees from the few feet he had slid, and there was a cut on his lip from bashing his mouth against the rocket ship on the fall.

[hockeypreg2]

Zach ran to him immediately, getting on the ground awkwardly and pulling Noah into his lap and rocking him in his arms. "Oh baby, papa's here. I got you. Caleb, get ice and a washcloth. Hopefully he didn't knock a tooth out but we won't be able to tell until we clean up all the blood in his mouth."

He kept rocking a sobbing Noah as Caleb spun into action. Zach tried to get a look at the carpet burns but Noah just screamed louder everytime he loosened his hold on him and tried to stop rocking him. "Okay baby. Daddy will check when he gets back. Who's my big brave boy?"

[Sam260]

Noah continued sobbing in Zach's arms, alternatively clutching his papa tighter and pushing him away every time Zach tried getting a look at his injuries.

Caleb came back in with ice in a Ziploc baggie and one wet washcloth and one dry one. "Alright Noah, it's okay sweetie. Daddy is right here." Caleb said soothingly as he started gently clearing away the blood from around Noah's mouth. While he was distracting Noah with the mouth cleaning, he was able to easily look at the carpet burns on his son's knees and stomach "Those will heal within a couple of days, it's pretty bad but we'll put some aloe on it and it'll take the sting out of it."

Once Caleb got the bleeding to stop in and around Noah's mouth, he carefully inspected his son's few teeth and sighed "He hasn't lost any of his teeth, just looks like a pretty bad split lip is all he got from that." Caleb said quietly and in relief.

Noah quickly transferred into Caleb's arms, still hiccup-sobbing in his arms. Caleb sighed and gently rocked Noah back and forth in his arms as they sat on the floor. He let Noah suck on the bag of ice, while simultaneously holding it to his swollen lip "He's going to have to stay home from Daycare until at least his lip heals. Carpet burns are explainable, all toddlers have them... But a swollen and split lip... That's a little harder to explain away, and I really don't need Child Protective Services in our house..."

[hockeypreg2]

"I don't think we have to worry about that," Zach said, smoothing his hand over Noah's hair. "He fell. It does happen."

Leo made his way over now that things were a little calmer and he shoved his face into Noah's, trying to make sure he was okay. He sniffed at him and whined a little, giving Noah a lick.

"Okay Leo, let's give Noah a little space right now," Zach said, tugging him away gently and tucking Leo against his side. "He'll be okay."

[Sam260]

Caleb shook his head "You have no idea what CPS is like, obviously." Caleb said quietly as he settled Noah more comfortably in his lap, practically laying the toddler across his lap. "If a daycare teacher see's this, even if we explain what happened... They're still going to call CPS. It happens all the time." Caleb said quietly, carding his fingers through Noah's curly hairs.

"Even as a shadow at the hospital when I was in Spring Grove, and even the year stint I did here - I saw a lot of cases where a kid claimed to have fell riding his bike, or falling from a tree... Every incident of child injury that requires hospital attention, CPS gets called in. Teachers are worse than medical personnel."

Noah whined pitifully as he continued sucking at the ice bag, his eyes growing heavy and tired the longer that his two daddies stroked his head - and especially Caleb lightly rubbing his tummy, but not where the carpet burn was at. He was not at all in a talkative mood, rather just mumbling and gumming at the ice bag.

[hockeypreg2]

"Okay," Zach agreed rather then argue about it. Keeping Noah home wasn't a problem for them. He stroked a finger over Noah's cheek, smiling at him. "Want to go put on jammies, bud? Get in some nice comfy dinos jammies?"

Noah nodded, his eyes half-closed as he mumbled "Dino jammies" around the ice. Zach looked at Caleb. "You want me to carry him or do you have him?"

[Sam260]

Caleb smiled "I've got him. If you think you can get up off the floor... Make sure you grab the aloe from the fridge and bring it up." Caleb said as he carefully stood up with Noah in his arms, and then adjusted the toddler so they were chest-to-chest, Noah laying his head on Caleb's shoulder and keeping a tight grip on his ice bag.

Despite letting Zach handle getting off the floor by himself, Caleb stayed downstairs and just out of sight until he was sure his husband was up and steady on his feet. Even Leo stayed close to Zach and helped him when it looked like Zach was about to stumble over - Caleb couldn't laugh, but almost did, he knew all too well about the balance problems of pregnancy, even if his were medically related, some of them weren't.

Caleb went up the stairs after making sure Zach was safe. Caleb laid Noah down on the changing table and gently rubbed Noah's cheek with the back of his index finger "You're gonna have to give up the ice bag soon, bud. You don't want to get your dino jammies all wet." Caleb said gently. Noah nodded and reluctantly gave up the bag, but it was a good trade - he loved his dino jammies.

Caleb quickly got him into a new diaper and when Zach came up with the Aloe, he gently applied it to the rug burns "Alright, we'll get you in your jammies once this dries. You wanna come lay down with Papa and me?" Noah nodded and held his arms up, clearly in a very clingy mood after being hurt so bad. "Alright." Caleb grunted as he lifted Noah up and into his arms.

[hockeypreg2]

Zach was already getting changed into his pajama bottoms when Caleb brought Noah in, carrying his dino jammies. "Do we have a sleeping buddy tonight?" He opened his arms for Noah, taking him so Caleb could get ready for bed. He pressed a kiss to Noah's head. "Ready to get your jammies on?"

Noah nodded and let Zach lie him down to put his jammies on him. His dino jammies were the best; soft and fuzzy with claws on the feet and a hood he could put up that had horns too. He felt so much better in the dino jammies when Zach was done putting him in them.

Zach settled Noah in the middle of the bed as they waited for Caleb and Noah patted his belly gently as they cuddled.

[Sam260]

Caleb went into the bathroom to change into his own pajamas - which included a pair of tight shorts and an even tighter tank top; just because Noah was sleeping with them, didn't mean he was going to change what he normally slept in. He came back out once he had his teeth brushed and pajamas on -- his tank top also happened to depict a dinosaur saying "Rawr" on it - he wanted Noah to feel better and this was one of Noah's favorite shirts that Caleb owned.

Caleb climbed into bed and snuggled up close with his family, resting a hand on Noah's belly and lightly rubbing up and down "I hope you don't mind me letting him sleep here? It'll be better for him, because we both know he'll end up in here sometime during the night anyway."