Chapter Seven

When Bobby returned to town, the very first thing he did was head home to drop his things off. He planned to hit a couple of baby stores. Ian cooed and wiggled his body around. He was eager to be free of the car seat.

"Okay, okay. Daddy's going to put you in the bedroom." Bobby said. His cleaning lady was vacuuming.

"Mr. Goren. I didn't expect you home so soon." The woman spoke with a Spanish accent.

"I know, Alicia. My plans changed, unfortunately." Bobby looked helplessly at the woman. "Do you know where the closest baby store is?"

She looked pass him. "You didn't go just for your nephew?"

"No, I went to get my son."

"Interesting. I can refer you to a couple. Do you need my help?"

"Probably." Bobby smiled.

"Come. Let's go." Alicia took hold of her purse and led the way. Bobby locked the door after him.

They traveled to a little baby furniture store on Bay Avenue, a block from the apartment. Inside, Bobby found plenty of baby equipment he'd need. He planned to use the office as a nursery and move it out into his massive living room. A deliveryman would take the orders to his building before five o' clock. They moved onto other necessities.

When they returned to the apartment, Bobby immediately went to the bathroom to change Ian's diaper. He wasn't afraid to change the kid's mess. But he liked to talk to Ian while he did.

"You're very lucky to be born into the Goren Family. I honestly didn't think I'd ever have children. But I'll never let you think that you were an accident. I bet you'll have my intelligence and your mother's sense of authority or no-nonsense. I'll always be there for you. Make a note of that." Bobby finished up, and they went to the living room.

"I'm finished for the day, Mr. Goren!" Alicia reported.

"Okay. Thanks!" He appreciated her job.

Then, he talked to his son while turning on the TV. He didn't watch too much TV, but he wanted to find a kid' program for Ian. It would keep him entertained while Bobby moved furniture around.

A SpongeBob SquarePants episode was on Nickelodeon. He looked down at his son as he set the remote on the coffee table. Ian lay in the bouncy seat, wiggling around. His eyes looked back up to his father, questioning.

Bobby smiled softly, his heart leaped. "There ya go, son." Then, he walked away in the direction of the office. He took a look at the room, and the idea of combining the two hit him like a semi. "That's perfect."

He got on the hard job of doing it all by himself. When the room was finished, it was split. Half Ian's room, half the office. Bobby figured that while he was working on a file or whatever, Ian could be near him in the crib or on the floor. It looked nice with Ian's birth certificate framed above his crib. A few baby things hung on the wall. The new furniture looked complimentary to the office. Bobby was proud of himself.

"Come here, Ian. Look at your new room." Bobby retrieved him from the living room and brought the little guy with him. He proudly showed the finished room to his son, who just stared blankly at him. Bobby was a little disappointed. "You don't like it?"

Again, Ian just stared at him. He squirmed, wanting down. Bobby lowered him into the crib and Ian immediately attempted to get in a crawling position. "Whoa, son. You can do it!"

He observed the beginning of the next step in his son's life. Bobby quickly went to his library and grabbed the baby book, sifting through it to find the baby developing stages. At three months, Ian should be smiling and making faces, finding his toes. He shouldn't be getting the feel of crawling yet, but then again he was a Goren which if he was anything like his father, the boy would be a genius – or close to it.

Ian gave him a goofy grin as he lifted himself up and steadied. It took him a few minutes before the little guy put one small hand in front. He pushed himself forward and finally got the hang of it. Bobby watched as Ian crawled to the edge of the crib. He pulled himself up, holding onto the railing with a death grip.

He felt goofy for acting all happy with Ian's accomplishments, but he praised him. "Yay! That's my boy!" Bobby did a funny dance for him. The boy grinned happily.

Bobby crossed his arms and grin. "Wish your mom could see this. Guess we'll have to tell her whenever we talk to her, eh?"

The baby didn't respond, only enjoyed his newfound freedom. Bobby picked him up and carried him to the playpen in the living room. Then, he went to unpack things.

After the week ended, Bobby had to return to work. He was at a loss with where he was going to put his boy while he worked. The daycare probably wouldn't take him until he was two or three. Until then, he called around only to find one agency that had the perfect woman for his precious boy.

She arrived the night before to be interview, and Bobby took an immediate liking to her. Now it was only up to his son. He wouldn't ever put Ian in the hands of someone the boy didn't feel comfortable being around. Like him, Ian took a liking to him.

"You have the job. Can you be here by seven?" Bobby hoped.

"Yeah, sure. That'll be no problem, Mr. Goren." The woman answered.

Bobby looked down at her reference sheet, only to learn that she lived a few blocks away. Justine Fellows was married with a child of her. He appreciated that already.

"Do you mind me inquiring about your child?"

"No. He's a year old." He thought it was interesting how she knew what he wanted to know. "Can I bring him with me?"

"By all means, yes. It'll do him some good to have someone to play with."

"Okay. Good." Justine moved to get up.

"Excellent. See you in the morning." Bobby walked her to the front door. After she had left for the night, he gave Ian a bath and put him to bed. "Night, son. See you tomorrow."