Mommy's Day Off

The baby cry could be heard through all the Mystery House. In the nursery, a woman with long blonde hair, sparkling but tired sky blue eyes, tan skin, dressed in a blue sleeveless shirt with a white shirt with short sleeves underneath, skinny dark blue jeans and black boots.

She keep passing around the nursery with her baby in her arms, a blonde haired, amber eyed and tan skin baby boy, who keep crying. This had been happening a few weeks ago, Seth was about three months old, the first two months were quite peaceful, the baby would do what he does best, eat and sleep, nothing else but suddenly he began crying all over the day and night which tired a lot Raf.

Sulfus was off working, he would only return in half an hour or so, that's what he told her when he called her a few minutes ago, he hated to be so many hours away from home while his wife took care of their baby, sure she had Angelie's help but she couldn't be there all the time, neither Raf wanted her mother to spend so many hours at home just because of Seth, she wanted her mom to do the things she liked and not be locked in the room like her.

Raf sighed one more time tiredly as she sat down on a chair, near the crib, she bounced the baby again in her arms and tried to smile at him to calm him down even though she was extremely tired, she even had black circles under her eyes "Come on sweetie...what's wrong?" the baby just keep crying and moving his tiny arms, his mother knew that he was just sleepy, she had fed him, she had changed him, she had bathed him and dressed him in his favorite pajamas, he was just sleepy but for some reason he couldn't fall asleep and neither could she.

The blonde woman began humming to her baby a song that her mother told her she used to sing in order to calm her down too, she cuddled Seth in her chest as if going to feed him and keep humming while kissing his head softly. Seth moved his small hand to his mommy's chest and gripped tightly her shirt, gradually his cry began to calm down and his eyes began closing. Raf managed to put the pacifier back in his mouth which he began sucking happily.

She sighed of relief and kissed her baby's head gently before putting him back on his crib, she covered him with a cool sheet for it was hot outside, they were almost starting summer and the temperatures were starting getting higher. She caressed with the tip of her fingers his blonde hair before she left the nursery. She closed the door carefully, so to not wake him up. She was going to her and Sulfus' bedroom when she heard the entrance door open and the keys being placed on the table.

She walked downstairs to see Sulfus taking off his jacket and putting it on the hanger; he smiled when he saw her and walked to her, kissing her "Is he asleep?"

"Finally, yes" she sighed as they walked to their bedroom

"You're too tired, you should rest" they sat down on their bed, he kissed her head and caressed her hair "And I'm serious, how long have you slept this morning?"

"Not much...but what can I do? He needs me, I'm his mother and he is just a baby...I have to feed him, to change him, to bath him-"

"Wow, wow, wow, I know that but you also need to rest or you will end in the hospital for being too exhausted."

"I know...but you're working and I'm on maternity leave for about a month more..."

"I understand and you have to be the most dedicated mom I have ever seen but you also need time for yourself..." he took her chin in his hands and looked into her eyes "When was the last time you hanged out with your friends?"

"About two months before Seth was born..." she sighed again "Urie called me this morning, asking me if I wanted to hang out tomorrow, Miki wants to buy a few last things for her baby before she goes to maternity, but I...I said I couldn't..."

"Well, then you're going to call her and say there was a change in the plans and that you're going"

"W-What? What about Seth?"

"I will stay with him, tomorrow is my day off at work so it matches perfectly. You call Urie and go have some fun, I will take care of our son, you need time to yourself as well, alright?" he kissed her, she kissed back and smiled

"Thank you" they were going to kiss again but a cry from the other room stopped them from doing so "Alright, he is calling me" but Sulfus didn't let her go, he forced her to sit down back again in the bed and he stood up instead

"You stay here and call Urie, I will go to him" he opened his bag that he brought from his work and took from there a teddy bear

"Where did you get that?"

"My mom gave it to me, she said that the best way to calm down a baby that has trouble to go to sleep is to give him a security object like a blanket or a stuffed animal" he grabbed the lightest perfume that Raf had in her chest of drawers and sprayed the stuffed animal just once. Raf looked at him curious and confused "This is the perfume you have been using lately isn't it?" she nodded "It's perfect then, I will put the teddy bear near him and he will think it's you"

He left the room and went in the nursery where his baby son moved in the crib, crying for some attention. He picked him up and cuddled him in his chest before he put the teddy bear near him. Soon enough Seth began calming down and his tiny hands grabbed the stuffed animal, cuddling in it and feeling the same scent that his mommy had. Sulfus smiled and gave him back his pacifier before putting him back in the crib and covering him with the sheet.

"Sleep well, son"

He left quietly the nursery and silently closed the door behind him, returning to his bedroom where he was going to say to Raf that their baby was back asleep but when he entered, he saw her now dressed in her pajamas and laying on the bed, sleeping deeply. He smiled and changed clothes as well before laying down next to Raf, he kissed her head and wrapped an arm around her waist, turned off the lights and also fell asleep.

~*.*~

"Okay I left the milk in the fridge; his clothes are in his drawer and so are his things for the bath and-"

Sulfus laughed "Raf, calm down, I know where everything is and you told me that about an hour ago and I perfectly memorized that. We're going to be fine, now go and have fun alright? And don't call me hourly! This is your day off and I don't want you to worry any bit about Seth understood?"

"Okay, okay, I got it boss" she giggled and kissed him before kissing Seth's head, he was in his daddy's arms "Bye sweetie and take care of daddy" in response the baby giggled while holding his teddy bear. Raf waved at her baby before leaving.

Sulfus grabbed his son's tiny hand and moved it as if he was waving goodbye too "Say bye to mommy" they watched Raf leave with her friends before the entered back home "Your mommy worries too much, you knew that?" he closed the door.

~*.*~

"Pfff, geez son, nobody would say that all I feed you is milk!" complained Sulfus as he cleaned and changed Seth's diaper while he played with his stuffed animal. He picked him up as soon as he was done changing him "There you go, better now?" the baby giggled in response "I will take it as a yes".

~*.*~

However something that seemed to be going easy and calm...after a couple of hours turned into a true HELL. Seth keep crying over and over again and Sulfus was going desperate, he didn't know what he wanted! He had checked the schedule left by Raf with the hours Seth should more or less drink his milk and he had already fed him, he had also changed his diaper a couple of times, he had also given him a bath (in which he got all wet from head to feet), nothing was off the place...

Sulfus didn't want to call Raf and tell her that something was wrong with Seth, knowing her she would leave her friends and immediately run back home and ruining her whole day off, so no, calling Raf was off the list. He sat down on the couch while rocking Seth in his arms trying to calm him down but he just keep crying.

He grabbed the cellphone and dialed a number, he waited for the person to answer..."Hello?" a female voice came from the other side of the line

"Hey mom"

"Sulfus! So good to hear you, how are you doing? Did the stuffed animal worked with Seth?"

He sighed "Yes it did work for us to sleep peaceful last night mom but it's not working right now, he keeps crying all over again, I've fed him, I've given him a bath, I've changed him...I don't know what I could be doing wrong!"

"Where is Raf?"

"I told her to go have fun with her friends today, she was completely tired of spending all the hours and days with Seth and since today was my day off from work I decided to stay with Seth. I don't want to call her, it would only ruin her day that's why I'm calling you"

"You did the right thing, trust me, she really needs some time for herself, if she did what I did when I had Zero then she would be wreck! Well anyway, you said that you've done everything right?"

"Yes, everything"

"You should check his temperature, he could have fever" Sulfus stood up from the couch and run to Seth's nursery, he went through his things until he found the thermometer

"Alright, I'm checking it..." after a couple of minutes he had the temperature "Yeah, he has got some fever..."

"That's what I thought, it's normal for babies of his age to have fever; it's nothing too alarming honey"

"Then what do I do?"

"Just give him the medicine the doctor provided him. In a few hours the fever should go down"

Sulfus searched through the medicine cabin until he found it "I've got it but he doesn't want to take it!"

"Mix it with his milk or in his pacifier, works perfectly" Sulfus put some of the medicine in Seth's pacifier and put it back in his son's mouth, little by little Seth's cry calmed down until he finally stopped, now he was just staring at his daddy with his big and teary amber eyes.

"It worked, thanks a lot mom!"

"Anytime sweetie, I wish I lived closer to you, I could have gone there to help"

"You've helped me a lot through the phone mom, I think I would have drove crazy if it wasn't for you"

"That's what moms are here for!"

Sulfus chuckled "Yes I know, thanks again"

"Anytime honey and don't hesitate to call me if you need help again. Bye!" they hang up and Sulfus sat back down on the couch with Seth between his hands; he kissed his baby's nose which made Seth giggle.

~*.*~

Raf laughed with her friends as she approached the doors of her house "Thanks for today girls, I was really needing some girl time!"

"Oh yes you really needed girl, you were a wreck! I hope I don't become like that!" said Miki as she caressed her 8 month stomach

"You will be a great mother, Miki, don't worry about it" assured Dolce

"Absolutely!"

"Well thanks again girls but now I have got to go back to my boys, I didn't call them anytime today so I'm really worried, it's the first time Sulfus stays completely alone with Seth. See you!" she run to the entrance and opened the door. She entered and put the keys on the table, the house was dark and in pure silence, something that she wasn't expecting to see or hear.

She turned on the lights and closed the door behind her back "Sulfus?" no answer...she found it strange...but something in her mind told her that everything was alright. She went upstairs, turning off the hall's lights off, she checked on Seth's nursery but he wasn't there...

She went then to her bedroom, the door was closed and the lights were off, the only thing open was the curtains that allowed the moonlight to fill slightly the room, however it was enough for her to see two figures lying on the king side bed. She closed the door behind her back and took off her shoes, walking silently towards the bed and what she saw made her smile tenderly:

Sulfus laying on the bed, sleeping peacefully and deeply, in his arms and cuddled in his chest was their tiny son, also sleeping peacefully while holding his favorite teddy bear in his tiny hands...Raf couldn't help but smiled again and kiss both her boys' heads, they didn't move.

She didn't turn on the lamp so to not wake them up, helped by the moonlight, she changed her clothes into her pajamas and carefully laid next to them, Seth now slept between both his parents. Raf smiled one last time and whispered, before she went to sleep as well "I love you my boys..."

The End