Glenbogle.com – Part 14

You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance. Franklin P. Jones

Melanie screamed in the night. The sort of cry that went from strength to strength until it reached a wail that could not be ignored, despite wanting to do just that.
Archie groaned and rolled over, burying his face in the pillow as Lexie begrudgedly stumbled out of bed. She fumbled for the lamp next to the cot and reaching in, picked up the tiny bundle before sitting back down on the bed. Archie rolled over again and opened his eyes to take in a very blurry wife and child.
" I'll feed her if you change her" Lexie offered
" That's not fair" Archie mumbled, as his tired brain tried to work out exactly why it wasn't fair. Then it clicked "I can't feed her- we're breastfeeding."
Lexie smiled angelically " Well then looks like you get nappy duty"
" Patience" Archie grumbled as he slid out of bed and searched in the dark for the nappies " I have a feeling she'll be changing her name when she's older"
Lexie smiled, wiping the babies dark hair off her heart shaped face " But you love her" She declared
Archie sighed and replied, " Yes, I do. More than anything- except for you"
Lexie stood up and handled the child to it's father " I love you too honey" she commented as he placed his daughter on the change table. Lexie leant over and softly planted a kiss on both of them before declaring, " I'm going back to bed, have fun"
Archie sniffled " Fine, leave me, I don't care…"
Lexie laughed and crawled back into bed, falling into a light sleep until Archie too climbed in next to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, and then drifting into deep slumber until the next time the wails and whimpers broke through the long awaited comfort of sleep.
Lexie turned to look at her husband- he was fast asleep. With a long sigh muted only partially by the pillow, she once again climbed out of bed and wrapped her dressing gown around her.
She gathered up the child in her arms, and walked down the hall to Molly's old studio to sit out on the balcony in the sun.
Lexie gazed at the baby in her arms and smiled, trying to imagine where they would all be in a few years time. Whether they would stay on for longer when Paul came back, would they raise Mel here for a while before moving away? They hadn't really though about it, but it seemed like something they should talk about.
The problem was when she and Archie did finally get time to themselves, the last thing they wanted to do was talk about plans for the next few years. They instead wanted to focus on the present, the here and now. There was way too much to do now, to worry about now, to also include questions and worries for years down the track.
Lexie turned as she heard the glass door open behind them, Archie smiled out at them, wrapping the blanket he had dragged from the bed around his shoulders. Lexie smiled back in welcome as he pulled a chair over and held out the blanket, tucking it tightly around the three of them before kissing them one at a time and snuggling closer in response to the chilly morning air.