I know that some chapters before I think I mentioned Emma was like half a year old, but please pretend that didn't happen and assume she is about ten to eleven months.
**
„This is the last one." Max threw the suitcase in the hallway, adding it to the heap of bags and suitcases already there. "We can unpack later on, right?" She sank down on the couch and gratefully accepted the glass of water Logan brought in from the kitchen. He returned to get his own one then set his brakes across from her.
"We have to go grocery shopping, the fridge is all empty."
"I can do it, just write a list with the things you need." Logan looked tired and exhausted and she thought it was better for him to stay at home.
**
"I'll be back in a few minutes. Where are the keys for the Aztec?"
"On the desk in the computerroom!"
Logan heard a door fall shut and wheeled over to check on Emma. The little girl looked at him and reached out for him. He smiled and reached overto lift her from her bed.
"You wanna crawl around a little, huh? You've been a very good girl on the plane, but too much sitting around. I know what that is like." He carefully sat the girl on the hardwood flor and leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. "You are doing great."
The baby started to crawl a few inches and Logan slowly rolled after her. But apparently the wheelchair scared her, she looked at it with big eyes for a long moment then started to crawl away, sobbing. "Shhh, come on, Emma. It's just me, just form a different perspective. He tried to get closer, but every time he neared her she would start to scream and crawl away.
"Sush, Emma. It's OK. I'll simply come down to you, OK? Shhhhh." He sighed and lowered himself to the floor before pushing the wheelchair a couple of feet away. Then he concentrated on the baby. "See, it's just me." With relief he noticed that Emma calmed down immediately, she giggled again. But instead of coming towards him, she crawled another few feet away from him. Logan flipped over on his stomach and followed her, using his elbows to move forward. "Come on, Sweety. Come here."
When he finally could reach out for her, she let out a scream of joy, apparently thinking it was fun to have an adult crawl around with her. "Emma, this is getting boring. Stay here, please." But the girl moved on towards thecomputer room, she was much faster than Logan. "Damn it." She was nearing the cables and electric devices. Logan looked over his shoulder, but the wheelchair was almost as far away as the computers, and it would take him precious extra time to get into it. A wave of frustration and helplessness washed over him before he grit his teeth and followed Emma as fast as he could.
He reached her just before she could get hold of the first cable. She had been to preoccupied with tehcolorful strings to notice Logan nearing her. "No!" He grabbed her and forcefully pulled her away. "No, Emma, not the cables." He held on to her tightly, not really knowing what to do next The girl still tried to struggle free to reach the cables and he would have to let go to use his arms in order to change his position.
"This is just great. I can't even take care of a baby. Great." He stayed where he was, trying to calm Emma, hoping for Max to return soon.
**
Max could hear the screaming baby the moment she stepped from the elevator. Hastily she opened the door and dumped the papaerbags she was carrying in the hallway next to the suitcases.
She stormed into the living room and was greeted by an empty bed and an empty wheelchair. "Logan?" Her heart beat faster. "Logan?!"
"Over here!" She followed the sound of his voice and stopped abruptly when she found him lying on his stomach, holding on to a struggling baby.
Quickly she kneeled down and took the girl in her arms. "What happened?"
"Damn it, What do you think?" He snapped back, struggling to turn on his back and sit up.
"Wait right here."
"Sure," he snored. "Not like I can get very far."
Max laid Emma back in her crib, by now she had calmed down a little. "I'll be right back, honey. But first I have to talk to Logan, ok?" She couldn't quite call him Daddy, it sounded so weird and unreal.
She returned to the computer room, pushing Logan's chair. Without a word she waited until he had pushed and pulled himself into it.
Finally he looked up at her. "I'm sorry."
"What happened?" She repeated her question.
"I thought it would be nice to let her crawl around a bit, she got scared of the damn chair, so I followed her to the floor, not really thinking. From that point on she was at an advantage," he explained bitterly. "She was totally focussed on playing with the cables. We have to secure this room somehow." He snored. "I can't even take care of a baby. I'm sorry."
"Logan," Max pulled a spare chair closer and sat down right in front of her fiancee, so she coudl look him in the eyes. "This is new to both of us. You can't expect to be an expert right away, and you don't have to apologize. We'll both make some mistakes. You are not a babysitter, but her father."
"Great father, the kid's scared of me!"
"Emma is not scared of you, dope, but of that chair. She will get used to it in no time."
He took a deep breath and slightly smiled ather. "You are right."
"Of course I am. And now, are you gonna move your sorry ass in the kitchen and cook? I'm starving!"
"Sure. What have you bought?"
"The bags are in the hallway!" She gave him a quick kiss on the lips, then returned to the living room to look after Emma.
**
"We have to call Bling and Cindy, or they'll be really mad at us."
"Tomorrow." Logan put down his fork and stiffened a yawn. "Way too tired right now," he explained. "Besides, the biggest news is sleeping anyway."
"Ok, so go have a shower and go to bed. I'll take care of the dishes and join you then."
"Not gonna argue about that. Thanks."
He wheeled out of the room, leaving Max alone with her thoughts. She knew there would be some problems with Logan, the chair and the baby. He still hadn't accepted it, and without that he would never be able to shrug off incidents like the one a couple of minutes earlier. But she was glad and proud that he had apparently gotten over the humiliation quickly. At least with her, he seemed to be comfortable. And Emma would soon get used to the chair as well, and hopefully would be able to help Logan with coming to terms.
**
„This is the last one." Max threw the suitcase in the hallway, adding it to the heap of bags and suitcases already there. "We can unpack later on, right?" She sank down on the couch and gratefully accepted the glass of water Logan brought in from the kitchen. He returned to get his own one then set his brakes across from her.
"We have to go grocery shopping, the fridge is all empty."
"I can do it, just write a list with the things you need." Logan looked tired and exhausted and she thought it was better for him to stay at home.
**
"I'll be back in a few minutes. Where are the keys for the Aztec?"
"On the desk in the computerroom!"
Logan heard a door fall shut and wheeled over to check on Emma. The little girl looked at him and reached out for him. He smiled and reached overto lift her from her bed.
"You wanna crawl around a little, huh? You've been a very good girl on the plane, but too much sitting around. I know what that is like." He carefully sat the girl on the hardwood flor and leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. "You are doing great."
The baby started to crawl a few inches and Logan slowly rolled after her. But apparently the wheelchair scared her, she looked at it with big eyes for a long moment then started to crawl away, sobbing. "Shhh, come on, Emma. It's just me, just form a different perspective. He tried to get closer, but every time he neared her she would start to scream and crawl away.
"Sush, Emma. It's OK. I'll simply come down to you, OK? Shhhhh." He sighed and lowered himself to the floor before pushing the wheelchair a couple of feet away. Then he concentrated on the baby. "See, it's just me." With relief he noticed that Emma calmed down immediately, she giggled again. But instead of coming towards him, she crawled another few feet away from him. Logan flipped over on his stomach and followed her, using his elbows to move forward. "Come on, Sweety. Come here."
When he finally could reach out for her, she let out a scream of joy, apparently thinking it was fun to have an adult crawl around with her. "Emma, this is getting boring. Stay here, please." But the girl moved on towards thecomputer room, she was much faster than Logan. "Damn it." She was nearing the cables and electric devices. Logan looked over his shoulder, but the wheelchair was almost as far away as the computers, and it would take him precious extra time to get into it. A wave of frustration and helplessness washed over him before he grit his teeth and followed Emma as fast as he could.
He reached her just before she could get hold of the first cable. She had been to preoccupied with tehcolorful strings to notice Logan nearing her. "No!" He grabbed her and forcefully pulled her away. "No, Emma, not the cables." He held on to her tightly, not really knowing what to do next The girl still tried to struggle free to reach the cables and he would have to let go to use his arms in order to change his position.
"This is just great. I can't even take care of a baby. Great." He stayed where he was, trying to calm Emma, hoping for Max to return soon.
**
Max could hear the screaming baby the moment she stepped from the elevator. Hastily she opened the door and dumped the papaerbags she was carrying in the hallway next to the suitcases.
She stormed into the living room and was greeted by an empty bed and an empty wheelchair. "Logan?" Her heart beat faster. "Logan?!"
"Over here!" She followed the sound of his voice and stopped abruptly when she found him lying on his stomach, holding on to a struggling baby.
Quickly she kneeled down and took the girl in her arms. "What happened?"
"Damn it, What do you think?" He snapped back, struggling to turn on his back and sit up.
"Wait right here."
"Sure," he snored. "Not like I can get very far."
Max laid Emma back in her crib, by now she had calmed down a little. "I'll be right back, honey. But first I have to talk to Logan, ok?" She couldn't quite call him Daddy, it sounded so weird and unreal.
She returned to the computer room, pushing Logan's chair. Without a word she waited until he had pushed and pulled himself into it.
Finally he looked up at her. "I'm sorry."
"What happened?" She repeated her question.
"I thought it would be nice to let her crawl around a bit, she got scared of the damn chair, so I followed her to the floor, not really thinking. From that point on she was at an advantage," he explained bitterly. "She was totally focussed on playing with the cables. We have to secure this room somehow." He snored. "I can't even take care of a baby. I'm sorry."
"Logan," Max pulled a spare chair closer and sat down right in front of her fiancee, so she coudl look him in the eyes. "This is new to both of us. You can't expect to be an expert right away, and you don't have to apologize. We'll both make some mistakes. You are not a babysitter, but her father."
"Great father, the kid's scared of me!"
"Emma is not scared of you, dope, but of that chair. She will get used to it in no time."
He took a deep breath and slightly smiled ather. "You are right."
"Of course I am. And now, are you gonna move your sorry ass in the kitchen and cook? I'm starving!"
"Sure. What have you bought?"
"The bags are in the hallway!" She gave him a quick kiss on the lips, then returned to the living room to look after Emma.
**
"We have to call Bling and Cindy, or they'll be really mad at us."
"Tomorrow." Logan put down his fork and stiffened a yawn. "Way too tired right now," he explained. "Besides, the biggest news is sleeping anyway."
"Ok, so go have a shower and go to bed. I'll take care of the dishes and join you then."
"Not gonna argue about that. Thanks."
He wheeled out of the room, leaving Max alone with her thoughts. She knew there would be some problems with Logan, the chair and the baby. He still hadn't accepted it, and without that he would never be able to shrug off incidents like the one a couple of minutes earlier. But she was glad and proud that he had apparently gotten over the humiliation quickly. At least with her, he seemed to be comfortable. And Emma would soon get used to the chair as well, and hopefully would be able to help Logan with coming to terms.
