It is often said that you know what you've got until it's gone. Whether the phrase refers to a priceless antique one might have mistaken for junk, a loved one taken for granted, a prosperous lifestyle or the ability to dictate one's own schedule, the meaning behind the phrase can change depending upon a person's situation.
In the case of Ichigo and Orihime Kurosaki, newly-made parents of twin girls, a good-night's sleep is something they can only dream about…pun intended.
Our story begins about two weeks after the twins are born and Ichigo's paternal leave of absence is done. Because of the long, hectic hours required of him as a hospital doctor, Ichigo had been positive that he would have no difficulty in adjusting to life at home with two infants. Boy, had he been mistaken.
Even though he was constantly on his feet, constantly having to readjust himself from one patient to the next and constantly having to keep himself in check when dealing with some of the more irritating patients and/or their families, since he was constantly on the move at work, Ichigo found no difficulty in staying awake and alert at his job. When it came to life with the twins, Ichigo found himself constantly feeling sleepy and dragging himself about the house. Likely, that was due to the fact that the infants would only require one or two things at a time and then the house would be peaceful again for a while and then another flurry of activity could commence. Because there was also no 'method to the madness', Ichigo couldn't get himself into a 'groove', which naturally threw Ichigo off even more.
Now, he was rubbing the bridge of his nose as he finished up with his last patient before he was allowed to go home. Checking the chart and giving the nurse a few final instructions, Ichigo gave the patient a farewell nod and walked out of the room massaging his shoulders and cracking his neck.
Part-way down the hallway, Ichigo heard a familiar voice calling him so he turned around to see his friend and colleague, Dr. Uryu Ishida, making his way down the hall.
Catching up and striding alongside Ichigo, Uryu asked, "Heading home?"
Stretching his arms above his head and scratching his scalp with a yawn, Ichigo answered, "That's the idea."
Reaching into his coat pocket, Uryu said, "Here, take this."
Giving his friend a side-ways questioning look, Ichigo asked with a hint of wariness, "Take what?"
Keeping his eyes ahead, Uryu handed over the object and said in an unconcerned tone, "Something I made for the twins. They're obviously not old enough to care whether they both get something, so this is just to start."
Extending his hand, Ichigo took the object and turned it over in his hands, inspecting it. It appeared to be some sort of stuffed animal…object…thing, only rather than the traditional cotton fluff, it was filled with aromatic beads.
Trying to keep a straight face, Ichigo said casually, "Uhh…thanks. I'm sure Reika and Ayaka will enjoy this…this…"
"Twin baby mice inside a peapod," Uryu supplied, "I saw something like it on Pinterest, so I decided to try it out."
Arriving at the staff locker room, Ichigo opened his locker, slipped out of his doctor's coat and into his comfortable zip-up hoodie and said as he placed the gift from Uryu in one of the pockets, "I see. Well, I'll give it to the girls and tell them it was from you."
Adjusting his collar, Ichigo couldn't resist asking, "By the way, what did you use to stuff it?"
Pushing up his glasses, Uryu looked highly pleased with himself as he replied, "They are beads I made myself so that they are slightly chewy, yet shatter-proof so that small pieces won't break inside and possibly injure the baby's mouth. I also researched and discovered that the chamomile and lavender scents are natural baby soothers and used in many baby products, so I infused the beads with those scents to help calm the babies more efficiently than a mere pacifier."
Not at all put off by Ichigo's usual dumbstruck expression at his explanation, Uryu gave Ichigo a curt nod saying, "You're welcome," and then pushed open the door to continue on his rounds.
Shaking his head, Ichigo made his way out to his car and made his way quickly, yet carefully, through the streets until he reached home. Taking another moment to stretch his long limbs out, Ichigo walked up to the back door, unlocked it, stepped inside, locked it again and then tried to silently take off his shoes and make his way through the house towards the bedroom.
Trying to make as little noise as possible in the dark room, Ichigo went directly over to his dresser to pull out a pair of pajama bottoms before shrugging out of his clothes, leaving only his undershirt on, putting on the bottoms and getting ready to flop down next to his sleeping wife.
Despite being bone-tired and feeling his eyelids begin to droop, Ichigo climbed in gently next to Orihime and whispered in her ear, "I'm home."
Part of Ichigo regretted waking her up, but the other part relaxed considerably when he felt and heard his wife stir and say in a sleep-laced whisper, "Welcome home, Ichigo."
Supporting himself above her, Ichigo leaned over to blindly plant kisses all over her head and face until he finally reached her lips. He heard and felt her giggle as she returned his kiss and clasped his face between her hands. Just as he was about to deepen the kiss, he heard one of the twins cough a couple of times before beginning to cry pitifully.
Giving Ichigo one last kiss, Orihime began trying to roll out from underneath him as she said, "Must need a diaper change or something."
Grabbing Orihime and pulling her back into place, Ichigo kissed her temple and said, "You go back to sleep. I'll take care of it."
Knowing what she was about to say, Ichigo added a little more steel into his tone as he said, "You're still half-asleep and I'm completely awake. I'll take care of it."
Without another word, Ichigo clambered back out of bed and stumbled over his previously discarded clothes. Remembering Uryu's gift, Ichigo quickly rummaged around for a moment or two before he found the object and then made his way into the twin's bedroom. From the soft beams of a nightlight, Ichigo was able to see Reika sleeping soundly in her crib while Ayaka was the one putting up the fuss.
Rubbing his eyes briefly as he stepped up to the crib, Ichigo looked down at Ayaka as she weakly flailed her arms and legs about, frequently rubbing her face in the process, and said in a low rumble as he picked her up between his hands, "Hey, hey now. No need for all the theatrics. I'm here."
Ayaka continued to fuss until Ichigo brought her to rest again his chest, then she began to settle herself more comfortably against him. Seeming to sense that she was being left out, Reika sneezed, yawned and then also began whimpering until Ichigo scooped her carefully up as well. Because the rocking chair was piled with laundry, Ichigo made his way out into the living room and stretched out on the couch with the twins only moving or making cooing sounds occasionally.
Letting out a yawn of his own, Ichigo spoke in a low rumble, "Well, I promised Uryu that I'd give this to you guys," he carefully reached over to switch on a lamp on a low setting as he said, "so I guess now's as good a time as any."
Pulling the toy out of his pocket, Ichigo tried passing it off to either one of the girls. Reika gave a little sneeze and rubbed her face with a fist, while Ayaka turned her face into Ichigo's shirt and tried to get rid of the smell that way.
Chuckling deep in his chest, Ichigo said, "As much as I would love to, I guess I can't tell Uryu that you guys don't like his gift. Guess he'll have to do better than mice in a peapod next time, eh?"
Through half-lidded eyes, Ichigo almost missed it, but if he didn't know any better he would have guessed that Reika was smiling up at him in agreement.
At three in the morning, Orihime got up to check on Ichigo and the twins. When she saw the lamp in the living room, she padded noiselessly down the hallway and stopped in the doorway to take in the sight before her. All three of her precious family members were sleeping soundly on the couch, with Ichigo's head bent back and his mouth gaping so that he snored slightly. Trying her best to suppress her giggles, Orihime covered father and daughters with a comforter and then sat back just watching them for a while with a soft, loving smile.
While it is true that often one doesn't realize just how important something is until it's gone, for Ichigo and Orihime, if they were given the choice between getting a full night's sleep or raising a family…well, it's the little things in life...pun intended.
