Bernie holds Gwenevere comfortably against her chest, one of the only motherly things she actually misses. When her children were small, and her husband was not nearby, she loved every second of this. She grins as the babe opens her mouth when she eats from a bowl of oatmeal, "Afraid you can't have this just yet. Few more months before cereal."
Charlie listens to her mother from a position just outside the kitchen doorway, smirking slightly.
"And I'm certain your Mum will be right on top of that. Doing research and calculations as to when the perfect moment will be to give you just a bit of rice cereal in your bottle." She nods a little, noticing the babe continue to watch up at her with bright eyes. "Trust me, it's only oatmeal. You aren't missing anything with this, Gwen. Oatmeal with bananas and just a little bit of brown sugar."
"Has she spoken back to you yet?" She finally moves to where her mother would be able to see her, amused with the sight before her.
"Doesn't need to. Facial expressions are enough. She's like Serena in that way, I can see right through her poker face." Bernie motions to the chair across from her, "Care to sit? You can hold her while I finish, or I can make you something, if you'd like."
"Or, you keep eating, and I can make myself something." Charlie offers, raising an eyebrow as she carefully lowers herself into the seat at the kitchen table.
"I like my idea better. She keeps giving me the evil eye."
The young woman snorts lightly with amusement as she does as her mother requests, eagerly taking the infant once she's offered to her. "Same thing you have, actually. If you wouldn't mind." She lets the babe inspect her face, having read somewhere that babies are unable to make out many features unless one is close to them in the few weeks of life. "Hey there, beautiful. It's me, your Auntie Charlie."
"You need to allow her parents to decide what she should call you." Bernie stands by the sink, having retrieved a packet of instant oatmeal from the cupboard, making the mixture as she speaks, "I'm still Auntie Bernie and Serena is still Auntie Serena. So there's a good chance-"
"I don't expect Cam to stay in one place long enough to ever be an Auntie Charlie any time soon. If I can get her to call me that, then that's what I'll be to her, whether Jason likes it or not." Charlotte answers honestly, "Gwen will know no different though. I'll treat her like my niece...try to be the cool aunt as much as I possibly can."
"With a walker? So cool of you-"
She can hear the good-natured teasing in her mother's voice, "You say that now, Gwen and I can learn to walk better together. I go to therapy, sure, but I think I just need to push myself here at home more than what they're pushing me at said physiotherapy."
"Push too much and your body will push back though, Charlotte." Bernie shakes her head a little, "Just take it one session at a time and do the little things you're supposed to do here...as instructed by the therapists, please. I promise it will help once your body gets used to how it moves again." She remembers her daughter's former near strut. Just her style of walking, proud, unafraid. She knows, though, that she'll probably never see her walk that way again.
"Other Mum lets me do what I want." Charlie smirks, watching her mother as she receives a playful scowl from the woman. She giggles a little, holding the baby out to look to her face again, "Gwennie, you look like a little old man. I don't know if that's what you're going for in life, but-"
"She does not look like an old man."
"Fine, an old woman."
"Babies are still fresh during the first few weeks. You weren't terribly cute until you were, maybe, twelve weeks." Bernie shakes her head, pausing for a moment, "I'm lying, you were adorable from the get-go, all round head and everything. However, Cameron wasn't. He was small and full of wrinkles."
"Like an old man." Charlie nods, "Exactly what I was saying before. She'll grow into it, I'm sure, but that doesn't mean she doesn't look like an old man now." She glances to the babe's face again, "She is very bright eyed though. Friend of mine had a baby not long ago and-" She stops herself, realizing that it wasn't recently, but more like a few years ago. Charlie knows she's in this house for a month already and hasn't spoken to anyone in her previous life for a month before that. None of them even bothering to attempt to visit her. Except for the man she didn't want to. "It's fine...doesn't matter anymore."
Bernie listens to the young woman, knowing she still has issues in regards to time and long term memory. "Don't worry about it." She slides the bowl of hot oatmeal across the table. "I'll get her bouncer. Hold on just a moment."
The younger woman watches her mother walk off before looking to the babe again, "Auntie Charlie will get better, Gwennie. I promise." She licks her lips, watching as her mother re-enters the room. "I left my mobile down here last night. Do you know-"
"One moment." She helps place the infant in the seat, before sliding the mobile across the table toward the young woman. "I advise you to eat first and let it settle before you start on that."
Charlie pauses, lifting her head to meet her mother's eyes as the woman returns to her seat. "Think I'll immediately fall into an uncontrolled epileptic fit? Paired with vomiting and loss of-"
"Charlotte." Bernie warns, "I don't know, but...I'd rather you be in your bed if anything were to happen. Makes it easier on these old bones of mine."
The young woman looks away, "Am I um...Am I a burden for you? It's the last thing I'd want."
"No, sweetheart, nothing like that." The blonde shakes her head slowly, noticing what Serena was speaking about the day prior. "We love having you...and I've waited for years to have you near to me again...instead of cut off...shunned." Bernie offers a sad, closed mouth smile. "It's not a burden, Char, it's being a parent." She pauses, "Which proudly I am, and will always be, until the day I die...whether you like it or not."
Charlie huffs a soft chuckle to herself, blushing ever so slightly, "I promise I'll choose the best care home for you and Serena in a few years."
"Thank you, that's all I ask, dear."