Doctor Crygor was currently at his wits end. It was well past three in the morning, but neither himself nor little Penny gotten a wink of sleep. She was completely inconsolable. No matter what he tried, she just wailed and wailed. He was too exhausted to even pace about and frantically try to find things to soothe her anymore; he simply sat in a large, plush armchair, holding the weeping child.
He didn't even react when Mike opened the door and entered the room, a bit dusty from doing some chores around the lab. Worry was written on Mike's face, and it wasn't just for the baby. Crygor himself looked positively haggard; the man looked like he was barely clinging to consciousness as he rocked himself and the infant.
"I tried everything, Mike!" he huffed. "She's fed, she's clean, I even tried to play with her, but nothing. Nothing!" Frustration was evident in his voice, but he still spoke relatively low, not wanting to upset Penny further. The poor man really was trying his best, and Mike's heart ached at the sight.
Mike wracked his brains for a few moments, eyes wandering around the room, trying to come up with something. A rather obvious idea came to mind.
"Have you tried music?" he asked.
Crygor sighed dramatically, gesturing to the mobile hanging above her crib merely a few feet away. "Of course I did. Not even her mobile's little songs are doing the trick anymore. I don't know what else to try. It's not like I can pull something from thin air, and I'm not even sure I have the energy to stand up right now!" he lamented. He almost sounded like he was on the brink of tears.
Mike walked closer to the pair and looked at the small child who continued to wail, albeit a bit softer than before. She, too, looked exhausted, almost as if she was fighting sleep herself. He couldn't figure out exactly why the poor thing didn't just let herself rest, but he knew that human babies were rather confusing as a whole.
He turned his mind back to his current game plan. Lately, he'd been adding some more songs to his personal library, deviating a bit from his usual genres and throwing in a few more well-known lullabies - things that he'd been a bit too embarrassed to play in front of the doctor. But right now, that seemed to be the best option. He moved to the doctor's side, placing an arm on the chair and kneeling down in front of them.
A slow, gentle tune started to emit from Mike's speakers, one that could be instantly recognized by the majority of the population. Crygor himself perked up at the first few notes, surprise written on his face, though it was quickly replaced by a soft, knowing smile. Mike self-consciously averted his eyes from the doctor, instead turning his focus back to the young Penny. Tears still streamed down her little red face, but her attention was now on Mike and the lovely guitar sounds coming from him.
A bit nervously, he began to sing.
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine," he cooed, "You make me happy when skies are grey." He kept his voice low and gentle for the little one. Unsurprisingly, it didn't take very long for Crygor to join in, letting the sweet familiarity of the song take over.
"You'll never know, dear, how much I love you," they sang in unison, their voices harmonizing in a surprisingly pleasant way. As they continued, Penny's weeping began to devolve into just a small whine, which then tapered off into the most wonderful sound they could have possibly imagined: the slow, even breaths of a baby who'd finally, finally given into sleep.
The two of them continued, still, their hearts full. Now they were simply enjoying the music for what it was, as well as savoring the rare calm atmosphere of the usually chaotic lab. Only a few verses remained, however, when Mike noticed that Crygor had stopped singing. He looked up at the doctor.
He was completely out. Somewhere down the line, he'd fallen asleep, too, his head leaning a bit to the side as he still held Penny close to his chest. It was probably the sweetest thing Mike had ever seen.
Letting the last few notes of the song play, Mike carefully stood up and went to fetch a blanket for the two, gentle as could be when he draped it around them. Satisfied, he pulled up a spare chair from the corner of the room, setting it in front of the doctor. He sat down, resigning himself to keeping watch over them - just in case. After all, he didn't really need sleep like humans did, and he wanted to be there if something happened.
When it came to chores, he decided, this was one he didn't mind too much.