He Won't Shut Up

by kevin the bird

"He won't shut up," he said, referring to the screaming baby in the bassinet next to the hospital bed. It was time for Nate to be fed, so he was screaming of hunger. "Hand him to me, Frank," is all Madeline said as she scooted up in the bed so she could take her newborn into her arms.

The first thing that Madeline heard when she woke up was her husband barking her name. He had arrived hours after the birth of his second son, so she was already in her postpartum room. Michael and Madeline were both asleep in the hospital bed together. Frank smelled of booze, but he was the most sober Madeline had seen him in weeks, which was surprising considering how much she knew Frank detested her being pregnant a second time.

"Madeline," Frank barked again. "He won't shut up," he said, referring to the screaming baby in the bassinet next to the hospital bed. It was time for Nate to be fed, so he was screaming of hunger.

"Hand him to me, Frank," is all Madeline said as she scooted up in the bed so she could take her newborn into her arms. Frank carelessly took the baby out of the hospital bassinet and handed him to his wife. Madeline quickly glared at her husband before she freed her breast from her shirt and quickly latched Nate. Breastfeeding had been hard for Madeline after she gave birth to Michael, but now that she's done it once, it was a lot easier the second time around. Just then, at the sudden movement of transferring Nate from one parent to another, Michael woke up to his little brother in his mother's arms. A smile instantly appeared on his face. He was already so protective of his brother.

"What's he doing, Mommy?" Michael asked, grabbing his mother's attention. She hadn't realized that her oldest son had woken up.

"I'm feeding him, sweetheart," Madeline said. Michael moved around on the bed so he was also resting higher in the bed. He carefully grabbed Nate's little hand, who in turn wrapped his entire fist around a couple of Michael's fingers. Madeline smiled as she wrapped her arm around Michael's body, which allowed him to get closer to Nate. His eyes started to droop from sleep. Madeline's water had broken early in the morning, so she had to wake Michael up to go to the hospital. "Go back to sleep, baby," she said.

"I'm not tired," he replied. Michael was a lot like Madeline. He was very stubborn, he was very independent and he knew what he wanted. Madeline softly laughed.

"Okay," she said, agreeing only because she knew that in a matter of minutes, he would be asleep again. Michael rested his head in the crook of Madeline's shoulder, Nate's fist still wrapped around his fingers. Sleep finally took over, his eyes closing and his breathing slowing down. That's when Nate finished eating and unlatched himself from Madeline's breast. Madeline then covered herself back up and then rested Nate against her chest and softly rubbed his back, waiting for him to burp. When he did, Madeline moved him so she was cradling him again. Nate's eyes also started to droop and within a few minutes, he was fast asleep. This was a rare image in the Westen household. Madeline's maternal side didn't often come out, but with a new baby, a five-year-old and a semi-drunk husband, she figured having both of her boys in bed with her was the best bet for their safety.