"Do you think she’s actually going to accept it?" Maria asked while they were going up in the elevator to the lobby. Hewett was making noises with his hands and mouth. All rather cute, and while Maria had a soft smile on her face for her son, her eyes were full of concern. "I know I was being rather forceful. I just...I can tell she’s a good Mom, you know? She’s trying so hard, and I just see a version of myself in her. I can’t say that to her. I know I wouldn’t feel good if soone like said that to when I was pregnant, alone and scared." Maria spoke quickly and Andrew nodded.
"I don’t know. She’s going to give it a serious consideration though. I know that much. I...didn’t really expect this to be the outco when I introduced you to them, but I’m not upset." Andrew told her and Maria’s smile shifted.
"Really? You didn’t expect that from ? Have you forgotten who I am so quickly?" She teased as the doors to the elevator opened and Andrew laughed openly as she stepped out before him.
"Hmm, no, but it was a rather strange way to get to that kind of conversation." Andrew said and Maria nodded, chuckling.
"I agree. Is she going to be okay?" She asked, turning back to look at Andrew, concern on her face. Andrew couldn’t answer that. He didn’t know Dr. Cox that well yet, and it was a bit intentional on her part. Andrew let out a long sigh.
"I don’t know. I hope so. She’s a good person, and it hurts to think that she’s going through this alone." Andrew said quietly and Maria made a loud scoffing noise. Andrew turned to look at her, surprised when he noticed the anger on her face.
"I am pissed that she had a partner, and he dropped out of her life. What a piece of shit. Leaving her with a kid and not doing a damn thing otherwise. She should pursue him for child support. I don’t care that he’s off living another life, you can’t shirk all of your duties." Coming from Maria, and knew that this wasn’t coming from nowhere.
He was pretty sure that this ca from either him, her other friends, or hell, even his Mom. Even if Andrew and his Mom hadn’t used any of that asshole’s money, they were still entitled to it and did receive it. Andrew couldn’t rember it clearly, but he was sure he’d heard his Mom speaking to Maria quietly about what Zack owed her for getting her pregnant.
Andrew might have blocked that out for his own wellbeing.
"We can’t do anything if Dr. Cox doesn’t want to pursue it." Andrew warned and Maria made a whining noise of complaint.
"Ugh! Damn morals! I wish I could be like Maxy and just go after what I want!" Maria complained and Andrew smiled. Yeah. His boyfriend was pretty cool like that. He was able to take control of whatever he needed, and tell others to fuck off if they got in his way. It was hot, and Andrew was sure Maxwell knew he thought that way. Hmm. Maybe he needed to tell him that. Make sure he knew that he had Andrew’s full support if he needed it.
"Max has his own morals too." Andrew told her instead and Maria rolled her eyes, smiling when she t Andrew’s gaze.
"I know! I’m not saying he doesn’t, I just...ugh! You know what I was trying to say." Maria protested before Hewett, not wanting to be ignored, pounded on her shoulder.
"Mommy." Hewett’s little voice was filled with indignation and Andrew’s lips twitched. Maria lted, turning towards her son.
"Yes, love?" She said warmly and Hewett tapped her shoulder again, but lighter.
"Snack." He demanded, before adding as an afterthought, "please." He nodded his head, his little body almost too light for the action. He would have toppled over if he wasn’t in his Mom’s arms. Andrew’s heart squeezed. The little boy was too cute for his own good.
Maria chuckled, poking his nose.
"Not yet, little baby. We’re going to go for a car ride first, then you can have a snack." Andrew watched as Hewett processed those words before his whole face began to crumple and he started crying. He did not like that answer. Maria began to rock him, trying to comfort him as he practically scread. "Awe baby. It’s okay. We just need to take a car ride first, okay?" Maria cooed and Hewett wasn’t having it.
He didn’t want to be soothed. He didn’t want to be comforted. He wanted his snack.
"N-No. Snack now please!" He shouted, sobbing as if he thought saying please was the magic word to make it suddenly appear. Maria and Andrew shared a look, Maria giving him an exasperated look filled with love.
"That’s our cue. I’ll talk to you soon, Andy. If you don’t reach out, I’ll co here again." She warned as she held the sobbing toddler in her arms. She had to speak a little louder, her feet moving quickly across the tile towards the door. Andrew followed her.
"It’s okay if you do co again. Bye Hewie. We’ll see you next ti, okay?" Andrew called to the little boy but he just nodded, sniffing and crying when his Mom still didn’t give him a snack. Maria was fighting a smile.
"Can you say bye bye to Uncle Andy?" Maria asked, halting by the doors and Hewett let out a loud sniff before he raised his hand and opened and closed it in a small goodbye gesture.
"Bye bye." He said sadly, his eyes still spilling tears and Andrew wanted to fall over. Hewett was too damn cute for him. Maria gave him a look as if she knew, before she blew Andrew a kiss and left the building, putting all of her attention towards her crying son.
Andrew stood watching them leave, his thoughts chaotic, but his heart more settled than it had been in a while. A whirlwind, for sure, but a good one. He wasn’t going to be able to get Hewett’s little bye bye out his head for a while. That had been too cute.
When Andrew turned around he could tell that so of the others had overheard him. They had the sa enchanted, slightly smiling look on their faces. Andrew couldn’t bla him. Maria and Zack made cute kids, that was for sure.
Andrew headed back to the office, wondering what kind of ss he was going to walk into.
~
The rest of the day had been a bit of a blur. Andrew hadn’t eaten, nor had Dr. Piper or Dr. Cox so Andrew offered to order food in as an apology for keeping the true nature of his questions from Dr. Cox. She had protested for a little bit, before she had eventually given in and gave Andrew an order.
Dr. Piper had picked it up while Andrew and Dr. Cox had set to work on the tasks for the day. Dr. Cox had remained mostly silent, but every once in a while she’d ask a probing question about Maria, Andrew, and his situation growing up.
Andrew didn’t mind explaining his life to her, and didn’t hold anything back. He also revealed who his Mom had been, and how she had hidden that from him even after her death. Andrew liked how he was able to reminisce a bit about his past, while also helping Dr. Cox with her own situation.
Dr. Cox seed to already be considering Maria’s offer rather seriously, which told him that she had probably been keeping the fact that the new daycare wasn’t working out to herself for quite so ti. That made Andrew’s heart hurt thinking about her daughter not having a good ti, and probably made her heart even more.
They ate together, using a folding table that usually was in the storage room as a makeshift sharing table and Andrew thought that this was pretty nice. He didn’t forget to check in with Ford and May, while also letting Maxwell know that Maria had left and had also left so rather large waves in her wake.
Maxwell was excited to hear about it once they got ho. He had liked eting Maria the last ti and told Andrew that he had kind of expected that he would have brought them up to his office. It sounded like he was pouting, and Andrew even told Maria about it.
Maria promised she would go visit Maxwell the ti she visited. With or without Andrew. It sounded like a threat, and Andrew told Maxwell what she had said in response.
Maxwell sent a thumbs up in response.
Andrew couldn’t with these two.
Dr. Cox had to leave at the sa ti, apologising for the state she had left the office in and Andrew waved it off. He told her he’d have a conversation with the managers about the situation and how behind they were. It was a good thing, he told her. It showed how much Richard hadn’t been handing off to the others, and that they probably needed more people for the departnt. It wasn’t a failure on her part, nor anyone else’s.
Dr. Cox felt a bit more relieved after hearing Andrew say that, he could tell by the way her shoulders had relaxed. Then, she was off. Dr. Piper stayed for another half an hour after that before she had to leave. She was apparently cat-sitting for a friend and needed to go. Andrew waved her goodbye, but she hesitated before thanking Andrew for all that he had done and fleeing.
Andrew let the smile drop from his face before he called up Dr. Liu. After the Richard incident, he’d gotten her phone number. This was going to be a long, potentially awkward conversation. He was glad that the girls were gone because even if he was on good terms with Dr. Liu, he was a little bit pissed that the managers as a whole had decided to neglect their departnt.
He was going to put on his best, are-you-fing-kidding- polite voice. He was pretty good at using it too. He hadn’t worked at his other company for nothing.
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