"Elmer?" Carrie said softly after sitting quietly, just holding
the baby and watching him for what felt like forever. Obviously, Sonny was
having a problem finding Louis to help them and she didn't feel like she
could leave this baby here much longer without possible serious
repercussions for Elmer. She just hoped that the baby's mother would be
understanding once she found out what had happened. And she really hoped
that Lona would be okay too. Her friend hadn't stirred once the entire
time she had been in the room and she was starting to get more than a
little worried. "Elmer, don't you think that we ought to see about getting
Lona upstairs no so that someone can take care of her?"
"She's comfortable here. Hook and Chris thought it would be better, would let her have some privacy." Elmer said as he gently stroked Lona's hand for another moment before moving over to Carrie. "Hey, why don't you let me have Emma back now, okay?" After holding Emma practically since her birth, his arms didn't feel right without her in them.
Okay, this wasn't good. Elmer looked pretty determined to get the baby back this time and Carrie wasn't sure what in the world she could do to keep him away from her. Elmer had seen Chris and Hook had been down there. How much did they know about what was going on? Obviously they couldn't know about Elmer's current condition, of course, about the fact that he had snatched a baby and was imagining that it was his and Lona's.
She was shocked that they had actually trusted him to look after Lona,
though. Maybe that meant that they were going to be coming back soon? She sure hoped someone was. She didn't know how much longer she could manage the situation with Elmer without some help. He was obviously seriously messed up.
"Listen, Elmer, why don't you let me take her upstairs for you?"
Carrie said, inspiration for a way to get the baby safely away from Elmer suddenly hitting her. She hated to leave him alone, of course, and she definitely didn't want to leave Lona alone without anyone to tend her with how sick she appeared to be but something definitely needed to be done about the baby quickly.
"She's fine here. And she's going to get hungry again soon.
She'll need her mom to feed her. Come on, let me have her now." Elmer said as he frowned slightly at Carrie. Why in the world wasn't she just handing Emma over? He hadn't thought that the nervous nurse was that fond of babies. He suddenly smiled slightly. Emma was cuter than any other baby that he had seen, though. He supposed it was understandable that Carrie would want to hang onto her for a bit.
Oh, Elmer was definitely far gone. Carrie was actually glad he was a bit out there, though. At least he couldn't see how she was reacting now. She shook her head slightly as she thought of it. Okay, Elmer had done some nutty things but she had never expected him to just snap like this. Of course, considering the losses he had experienced.... She vaguely recalled his brother from when she was doing her nurse's training.
That had to have been a nightmare for Elmer do deal with, to have his only sibling commit suicide like that. Then losing his mother and Carrie knew that Elmer's relationship with Louis had never been the best for some reason. It must have all ended up being too much for Elmer to deal with was all that she could figure. And if Lona had been pregnant and had lost the baby.... Poor Elmer. Carrie felt another tear slipping down her cheek. It didn't seem fair for him to keep losing his family like he had.
No wonder he had cooked up an imaginary family for himself. She just hoped that the baby's real parents would be understanding when they were told.
Elmer didn't need to be punished. He needed sympathy and people to show him how much they cared at this point.
"Carrie, are you okay?" Elmer asked anxiously as he caught sight of the tear rolling down her cheek. "You really need to give me the baby now." Oh, great. She was probably about to faint again. She really,
really needed to see someone about that. Either that or seek a new line of work. Possibly librarian might be a nice, safe career? Well, if she stayed out of the Thriller and Mystery sections, it might be. "Carrie?"
"Listen, Elmer, you really ought to let me take the baby upstairs,
okay? Someone needs to check her out. Don't you want that?" Okay, Elmer obviously was totally convinced the baby was his. Carrie would go along with that for the moment. Maybe she could use it to get him to let her get the baby back where she belonged.
"Hook and my dad took a look and Chris too. They said she's fine."
Elmer told her. "Now come on, Carrie, let me have her, okay? Lona's going to wake up soon." He definitely didn't want Lona seeing Carrie holding the baby. He wasn't sure that she would think it was such a good idea to let her do that with how much Carrie passed out.
"But none of them work with babies, now do they?" Carrie said,
turning slightly so that Elmer couldn't just snatch the baby away easily.
She had to get him to let her leave with the baby and soon. He was going to be in so much trouble if she couldn't fix this.
Well, that was true. Of course, the anteater seemed to know a bit about children but it wasn't like Elmer could tell Carrie about him. And now that she had mentioned his father and Hook's lack of experience with kids, a bit of worry was starting to creep in. What if they had missed something with Emma? She looked perfectly fine to him but....
"I'll be happy to run her up to the nursery and get them to check her for you." Carrie could tell that Elmer was wavering. She felt bad about doing this, like she was tricking him and taking advantage of his confused state, but she didn't see what other choice that she had. "And don't you need to be taking care of Lona? You can't do that and manage a baby at the same time. Let me take her upstairs and give you a break."
Using Elmer's affections for Lona as well definitely felt wrong but.... It was for his own good, though. She firmly reminded herself of that. All of this was for Elmer's own good. When he regained his sanity, he would think her for it!
"I don't know...." Elmer definitely didn't want to let Emma out of his sight but what Carrie had said was definitely inducing some concern for his daughter's wellbeing. If anything happened to her.... "Maybe when Lona wakes up and I can talk to her." He said after a moment's thought.
He couldn't just make decisions without her input.
"Elmer, come on. Lona needs her rest right now. It will be good for her to have the baby somewhere else for a little while. Come on. I'll bring her right back if the doctor says it's okay. Just let me run her upstairs. It's so cold down here, you know. It isn't a good place for a newborn baby." Carrie was definitely laying it on thick now, trying to get Elmer to agree with her. She had to get the baby safely out of here and quickly.
"She's comfortable here. Hook and Chris thought it would be better, would let her have some privacy." Elmer said as he gently stroked Lona's hand for another moment before moving over to Carrie. "Hey, why don't you let me have Emma back now, okay?" After holding Emma practically since her birth, his arms didn't feel right without her in them.
Okay, this wasn't good. Elmer looked pretty determined to get the baby back this time and Carrie wasn't sure what in the world she could do to keep him away from her. Elmer had seen Chris and Hook had been down there. How much did they know about what was going on? Obviously they couldn't know about Elmer's current condition, of course, about the fact that he had snatched a baby and was imagining that it was his and Lona's.
She was shocked that they had actually trusted him to look after Lona,
though. Maybe that meant that they were going to be coming back soon? She sure hoped someone was. She didn't know how much longer she could manage the situation with Elmer without some help. He was obviously seriously messed up.
"Listen, Elmer, why don't you let me take her upstairs for you?"
Carrie said, inspiration for a way to get the baby safely away from Elmer suddenly hitting her. She hated to leave him alone, of course, and she definitely didn't want to leave Lona alone without anyone to tend her with how sick she appeared to be but something definitely needed to be done about the baby quickly.
"She's fine here. And she's going to get hungry again soon.
She'll need her mom to feed her. Come on, let me have her now." Elmer said as he frowned slightly at Carrie. Why in the world wasn't she just handing Emma over? He hadn't thought that the nervous nurse was that fond of babies. He suddenly smiled slightly. Emma was cuter than any other baby that he had seen, though. He supposed it was understandable that Carrie would want to hang onto her for a bit.
Oh, Elmer was definitely far gone. Carrie was actually glad he was a bit out there, though. At least he couldn't see how she was reacting now. She shook her head slightly as she thought of it. Okay, Elmer had done some nutty things but she had never expected him to just snap like this. Of course, considering the losses he had experienced.... She vaguely recalled his brother from when she was doing her nurse's training.
That had to have been a nightmare for Elmer do deal with, to have his only sibling commit suicide like that. Then losing his mother and Carrie knew that Elmer's relationship with Louis had never been the best for some reason. It must have all ended up being too much for Elmer to deal with was all that she could figure. And if Lona had been pregnant and had lost the baby.... Poor Elmer. Carrie felt another tear slipping down her cheek. It didn't seem fair for him to keep losing his family like he had.
No wonder he had cooked up an imaginary family for himself. She just hoped that the baby's real parents would be understanding when they were told.
Elmer didn't need to be punished. He needed sympathy and people to show him how much they cared at this point.
"Carrie, are you okay?" Elmer asked anxiously as he caught sight of the tear rolling down her cheek. "You really need to give me the baby now." Oh, great. She was probably about to faint again. She really,
really needed to see someone about that. Either that or seek a new line of work. Possibly librarian might be a nice, safe career? Well, if she stayed out of the Thriller and Mystery sections, it might be. "Carrie?"
"Listen, Elmer, you really ought to let me take the baby upstairs,
okay? Someone needs to check her out. Don't you want that?" Okay, Elmer obviously was totally convinced the baby was his. Carrie would go along with that for the moment. Maybe she could use it to get him to let her get the baby back where she belonged.
"Hook and my dad took a look and Chris too. They said she's fine."
Elmer told her. "Now come on, Carrie, let me have her, okay? Lona's going to wake up soon." He definitely didn't want Lona seeing Carrie holding the baby. He wasn't sure that she would think it was such a good idea to let her do that with how much Carrie passed out.
"But none of them work with babies, now do they?" Carrie said,
turning slightly so that Elmer couldn't just snatch the baby away easily.
She had to get him to let her leave with the baby and soon. He was going to be in so much trouble if she couldn't fix this.
Well, that was true. Of course, the anteater seemed to know a bit about children but it wasn't like Elmer could tell Carrie about him. And now that she had mentioned his father and Hook's lack of experience with kids, a bit of worry was starting to creep in. What if they had missed something with Emma? She looked perfectly fine to him but....
"I'll be happy to run her up to the nursery and get them to check her for you." Carrie could tell that Elmer was wavering. She felt bad about doing this, like she was tricking him and taking advantage of his confused state, but she didn't see what other choice that she had. "And don't you need to be taking care of Lona? You can't do that and manage a baby at the same time. Let me take her upstairs and give you a break."
Using Elmer's affections for Lona as well definitely felt wrong but.... It was for his own good, though. She firmly reminded herself of that. All of this was for Elmer's own good. When he regained his sanity, he would think her for it!
"I don't know...." Elmer definitely didn't want to let Emma out of his sight but what Carrie had said was definitely inducing some concern for his daughter's wellbeing. If anything happened to her.... "Maybe when Lona wakes up and I can talk to her." He said after a moment's thought.
He couldn't just make decisions without her input.
"Elmer, come on. Lona needs her rest right now. It will be good for her to have the baby somewhere else for a little while. Come on. I'll bring her right back if the doctor says it's okay. Just let me run her upstairs. It's so cold down here, you know. It isn't a good place for a newborn baby." Carrie was definitely laying it on thick now, trying to get Elmer to agree with her. She had to get the baby safely out of here and quickly.