Sleep Depravity
Like clockwork the baby cried again.
Every night since the baby's arrival I had woken to the same, insufferable screaming night after night. Was there no God? Sleep was important in a teenager's life and to be saddled with a child at such an early age wasn't helping the slight insomnia that I had already. The bags under my eyes proved it. Watari said it was responsibility. I said it was free labor. I too would be fleeing the nest soon, going off to bigger and better things. Maybe I would be a detective or an analyst, but either way my time at Wammy's was close to over. I would make my mark on the world and what did it matter if I knew how to change a diaper before I went off to do that?
I stood up and blindly fumbled to the light switch. After turning it on I immediately regretted doing so. I flipped it off while punching at the wall and covered my eyes the rest of the way to the baby's room. Managing to somehow catch my toe on the door I muttered "Shit!" before berating myself for allowing the curse words to leave my lips while in such close proximity to the baby. I came into the room where the baby lied in his bed on his back, wailing to the heavens about the injustices being committed to it. I had the strong urge to cover my ears to prevent the shattering of my eardrums but that too was frowned upon in Watari's eyes.
"It's okay Nate," I cooed, looking down at the flailing ball of red face and wet tears. It didn't seem to quell any of the baby's fears or worries. What did this baby know of hardship? He hadn't been on this earth long enough to even witness it. What right did the baby have to cry? I stuck a finger into the baby's small hand. He looked up with watery eyes, seemingly making eye contact while simultaneously silencing.
"Interesting," I mumbled, feeling the tight squeeze of the baby's tiny digits over my pinky finger. It giggled at the sound of my voice. "Oh, you like that huh?" I asked, chuckling to myself and tickling the baby's tummy. He squirmed in the cradle and emitted a belly laugh. I couldn't help but laugh along. Maybe he wasn't too bad.
I rubbed the white wisps from the child's face and slid my finger from his grasp, hoping to get some sleep tonight. Right as I was about to leave the room the wailing begun again, causing a dull roar of a headache to afflict my hundred-miles-a-minute mind. I felt my eye twitch unpleasantly. Letting out a huge sigh of contempt, I stalked back into the room and shoved my finger at the baby once more.
Don't stomp L; you'll wake the whole orphanage. Stand up straight L; you'll end up stuck like that. Take care of the baby L; you'll learn responsibility. Use table manners L; you'll need them when you want to impress someone. Well, Watari, aren't you just the expert on my life? That man was drowning me in advice. I swear, he took all the guesswork out of it. How was I supposed to have fun if there wasn't room left in the mold for me to become someone unique? I realized that I was poking the baby much too hard when it let out an ungrateful cry. I instantly stopped taking my anger out on the child; he hadn't chosen to be a burden on my life.
When it's bawling of destitute, cruelty and most likely hunger overpowered my will power and ability to withstand shrill noises I took matters into my own hands. Literally, I lifted the baby from the cradle and held it in my arms. The noises stopped momentarily as it seemed to be content lying in my arms. I too was quite comfortable holding him to my chest and rocking in the rocking chair. Unfortunately, this comfort did not last in the slightest. It began to wail once more.
There must have been some divine being leeching off of my lack of sleep for survival. Slowly as I withered away they grew strong with their subject suffering from extreme sleep depravity. With the deficit increasing in my sleep patterns I would soon crash into a ball of teenage hormones and the need of rest. There was a ninety-four percent possibility that this crash would occur within the next twenty-four hours.
"I heard Nate crying; is something wrong?" Watari asked, rushing into the room wearing a monogrammed robe. I looked up from the weeping child to the man who'd raised me.
"Other than the blood dripping out of my eardrums? No," I replied, the usual ungrateful teenager response. Watari took Nate from my arms and cradled him himself. The crying stopped and the baby almost fell asleep again. "What did you do?" I asked, taking the baby from Watari's arms, hoping to be part of this magic trick. The moment he touched my fingertips he began to cry again. "You've got to be kidding me! But we were getting along so well," I murmured, having a fully fledged and almost intelligent conversation with the six month-old baby.
"Careful L," Watari warned, lifting Nate higher into my grip. "Hold him lightly, with your fingertips, like this," he explained. Apparently holding a baby was much like lifting a dirty sock, done delicately.
"Oh, I thought I'd broken him," I laughed as his thick dark eyelashes settled onto his fat cheeks. He pleasantly began to breathe deeply, almost snoring. Watari laughed and straightened his glasses.
"No, the cry means he's working I'm afraid," he chuckled to himself. I smiled at my mentor and father-figure. How selfless it was of him to raise so many other people's children. I knew what he did was saintly and I knew that if it weren't for Watari I would be a street waif, but I also knew that I didn't want to pursue the same occupation as him, so why did I have to take care of Nate when he was so much better at it?
"But why me?" I muttered, nervously staring at my fingertips as I held Nate close, our breaths synchronized now. Watari didn't immediately respond, because I knew he was thinking about it. I may have been only fourteen, but I could tell when answers weren't sincere. He rolled the thoughts over in his experienced mind and eventually came up with an acceptable response.
"Because, you too will have a family one day L," he whispered, realizing that Nate had fallen asleep in my arms. I looked down at his peaceful face. He was much more agreeable when he was asleep, or more importantly silent. I nodded solemnly. He knew me too well to give me a dishonest reply. In some ways he was the only one who knew me. I pet back another wisp of the baby's bright white hair.
"I hope so," I breathed.
Watari looked up at me and grinned. He'd done his job. This was why he was training me, not to make me hate babies, but to make me love family, specifically the family I had right here at Wammy's. There would always be a soft spot in my heart for this orphanage, for the children and most importantly this child.
"If you'd like I bet I can get him into bed without him waking," Watari offered, his hands already outstretched to receive the baby. I shook my head slightly. This baby was asleep in my arms and asleep he would stay.
"Its fine, I think I'll just stay here," I mumbled, rocking the baby and already feeling drowsy at the sounds of his rest.
"Whatever you like Sir."
And just like that, I graduated in Watari's eyes to a worthy individual with responsibility and compassion. He knew it wasn't a lie. Every word I'd said was the truth and honestly, I think that's why he saw a change. For once I wasn't the melodramatic, lying and scheming teenager. For once I was just L, and that baby was just Nate.
In case you don't know Nate is Near's real name and I wanted to write a short fic with L acting like an insufferable teenager and Near just being a baby. I hope you liked it! Please remember to REVIEW, FAVORITE and READ my other work! Keep an eye out for upcoming stories!