Baby Baloos
Part 2
Cape Suzette
Rush Hour Traffic
HONK! HONK!
Another car answered irately with a BEEEEEEP followed by a "Hey, buddy, get outta the way!" from its driver.
"Yeah, same to ya!" yelled the first driver, thumbing his nose.
"Why, you!"
All up and down the street, horns were blaring and tempers were flaring.
The hot temperature was heating up tempers all over the city. If the awful heat wave wasn't bad enough, the streets of downtown Cape Suzette were clogged with bumper-to-bumper cars. Commuters trying to get home after a long day's work found themselves stuck in a horrible traffic jam due to an overheated truck blocking the road.
Baloo leaned over the front seat of the taxi that he and Kit were in. "Do ya think you could speed it up, pal?"
The taxi driver, an ape, said over his shoulder, "Through this traffic? Whattaya think this is - a plane?" He laughed derisively. "Those are the breaks, Mac."
After Baloo leaned back, Kit whispered, "I think he's riding the brakes."
"Oh..." the big bear moaned, mopping sweat from his face with the hem of his shirt.
"That was a joke, Papa Bear," the boy said with a wan smile.
Baloo pushed Kit's cap down over his eyes with a sigh. "Yeah, I know, kid. I just hope Becky's all right."
"We're movin'," announced the taxi driver triumphantly. He put the yellow cab into 'drive'. They inched ahead a few feet and halted once again. "We're stoppin'. Sorry, folks."
Baloo felt like banging his head against the seat in front of him in frustration. Instead, he clenched and unclenched his cap in his hands. "This is wrong."
"What's 'wrong'?" Kit was almost positive that he had seen a snail zip past them.
"It took us less time gettin' ta Cape Suzette from Thembria than it's takin' us ta get across town."
Kit opened his mouth to say, "Not quite", but quickly shut it. He didn't think Baloo would appreciate being corrected just then. He stared out the open window where a group of teenagers was walking down the sidewalk, bottles of soda in hand. Kit smacked his dry lips. He was so thirsty. He fanned himself with his cap, almost wishing that they were still in cold Thembria instead of sitting in rush hour traffic in a smothering hot cab.
Cape Suzette Memorial Hospital
An Agonizingly Long Hour Later
The sun had sunk below the cliffs when Baloo and Kit hurried up the steps of the tall, brick hospital and burst into the air-conditioned lobby. Directly in front of them was the receptionist's desk. On their left was a small, glassed-in cafeteria where a few people were munching on sandwiches and salads.
To their right was a large waiting room filled with couches and chairs and end tables with the obligatory outdated magazines. In one chair was an elderly elephant peering at the Cape Suzette Tribune through his half-moon spectacles. A young male cheetah with a handlebar mustache nervously paced the length of the room, wringing his hands.
Baloo stood just inside the doorway. He loved the refreshing coolness of the room, but he hated hospitals. They gave him the willies, and somewhere in this maze of painful injections and sick people was his wife and newborn child.
When Kit spotted the back of Wildcat's head, he peeked over the back of the sofa at the small lion and the little yellow bearess. He tugged one of Molly's blue hair ribbons, saying, "Hello. Do I know you?"
"Kit! Daddy! 'Bout time you're here!" cried Molly. She tossed an old magazine aside and sprang off of the sofa. Practically jumping up and down, she caught her father's hand. "We've been here all day. Do you want to see the new baby?"
"You betcha, Button-nose!" Baloo said, giving his daughter's hand a squeeze.
"That's why we're here!" Kit exclaimed. He was as excited as his sister.
Molly led Baloo and Kit to the nursery's viewing window, which was down the hallway behind the receptionist's desk. "Lift me up, Daddy."
Baloo scooped her up in his arms.
"There she is. The pretty one." Molly stuck her finger to the glass, pointing to a tiny, slumbering grey bear cub wrapped in a pink blanket.
The name tag on her crib read:
Cassandra Amelia von Bruinwald
Born July 7, 1939
6 lbs. 2 oz.
Wildcat remarked candidly, "She needs to have some wrinkles ironed out. Can they do that here in the hospital, or do we have to take her to the dry cleaners?"
"She's so tiny," Kit whispered.
Baloo didn't say anything for a long time. He just stared at the baby, transfixed. After nine months of waiting and anticipating, there she was. His daughter. Then, he noticed the name tag. Blinking in surprise, he leaned closer for a better look. It did say what he thought it did. Feeling a lump forming in his throat, he murmured huskily, "Becky, you thoughtful sweetheart."
"You okay, Daddy?" Molly asked concernedly, wiping a tear from his cheek with her hand.
"Yeah...yeah, Dumplin'. I'm fine." He gave Molly a watery smile. Clearing his throat self-consciously, he explained, "Cassandra was my mama's name."
"I think Cassandra looks a lot like you, Papa Bear," Kit said with an understanding grin. He gently squeezed Baloo's arm.
"Her fur is the same color as yours - a greyish-brown or maybe more of a brownish-grey. And she has your nose, though hers is itsy-bitsy." Wildcat pinched his thumb and forefinger together.
Without warning or seeming provocation, Cassandra screwed up her face and let out an ear-piercing shriek that could easily be heard through the glass. The infants on either side of her - a baby alligator and a baby monkey - joined in on the wailing.
"She's got my good looks, but she sure got Becky's lungs." Baloo chuckled, setting Molly on her feet. He furtively passed the back of his hand over his eyes. "Can I see yer mama, Pigtails?"
"I don't know. I can't, 'cause I'm not old enough," Molly pouted, sticking out her lower lip. "Stupid hospital rule."
The two cubs and Wildcat settled themselves on the waiting room sofa, chattering excitedly, as Baloo strolled to the receptionist's desk. "Can ya give me the room number of Becky, um, Rebecca von Bruinwald? She's my wife who just had the purdiest baby gal ya ever laid yer peepers on," he proclaimed proudly. "She's over there if ya wanna take a peek at her. My baby, I mean. Can't ya hear her? She's the one with the real loud cry."
"Congratulations," the secretary, an ostrich, said with an amused smile. Every father thought their baby was perfect. She flipped through a rolodex. "Room 231. Down that hall, sir." She pointed to her right.
"Thanks." Baloo hurried down the antiseptic-scented, glaringly white hallway. He lightly rapped his knuckles on the slightly ajar door of room 231. "Knock, knock, anybody home?"
Rebecca didn't answer, because she was sound asleep.
Baloo tiptoed into the room and pulled a chair up beside the bed. Plopping down in the chair, he grasped his wife's hand and tenderly ran a finger down her cheek. After a few moments, Rebecca's eyelids fluttered open.
"Hey," Baloo murmured, grinning.
"Hey, yourself," Rebecca whispered.
"You were s'posed ta wait 'til I got here, Beckers."
"The baby got impatient. Just like you, she couldn't wait." She squeezed his paw with a sleepy smile. "Have you seen our baby, Baloo?"
"Yeah. She's bee-you-ti-ful, Beckers, just like you." He pressed his lips to hers.
"Do you like her name?" the bearess asked with a shy, yet sly, smile.
Baloo's eyes misted up again. "Yeah, my mama's. Where'd ya get Amelia? Amelia Airhead?"
"Contrary to popular belief, Baloo, not everything has to do with aviation. It was my grandmother's name. I thought she should have names from both sides of the family." She winced in pain as she attempted to sit up.
"Here, let me help ya, honey." Baloo piled pillows against the headboard, and, taking her by the arms, gently slid her up against them. He perched on the edge of the bed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Sighing with happiness and weariness, Rebecca leaned against him. He smooched the top of her head. "How're ya feelin'?"
Rebecca gave a short laugh. "I've felt better. Glad that's over and doubly glad that I can get back to my old size. I was tired of being as big as you." She yawned. "How do you stand it, Baloo?"
Baloo was so happy that his wife's barbs about his weight didn't bother him. "Years of practice, Becky." He grinned from ear to ear when a nurse appeared in the doorway with a precious pink bundle. "Well, lookee who's here."
"Feeding time," the nurse, a young bearess in a white uniform, carefully handed the tiny cub to Rebecca.
"Can I hold her?" Baloo eagerly held out his arms.
"Of course, darling." Rebecca placed the baby in his arms. "Support her head and neck...like that." She smiled dreamily at her husband's ecstatic expression as he gazed in awe at their baby.
"Hey, Cassie, I'm yer daddy," he crooned softly. He placed the tip of his pinky finger in her teeny paw. When the infant instinctively curled her fingers around it, Baloo was hooked for life. "What a grip you've got. Yes, ya do. Yes, ya do. Woogie-woogie-woogie-woo."
Rebecca hid a smile at the irony of her large husband speaking baby talk. He never ceased to amaze her.
"You're a strong little thing, Cassie. Man, she's so little, Becky. She fits just right in the palm of my hand."
"She didn't feel that little to me," Rebecca said sarcastically.
"Snug as a bug in a rug in your purdy pink blankie, ain't ya, Cassie?"
Rebecca commented, "She must be a keeper, because she already has a nickname, courtesy of her father."
Baloo looked up in surprise. "What - Cassie? Cassie fits her better. Cassandra's too big a name for this little gal, an' it's easier ta say. Can't ya just hear us yellin' upstairs, 'Kit, Molly, and Cassie, haul yer tailsections down here right this second!'?"
"Eloquently put, as usual, Baloo." Rebecca chuckled, running her fingers through Cassie's thick thatch of hair, the ends of which curled slightly.
"She's so perfect," Baloo said. "Perfect little ears, an' nose, an' fingers, an' toes." He gently tweaked each of those respective body parts. "Becky, look! Look! She's openin' her eyes," the proud papa hissed.
"Hi, baby," cooed Rebecca. "Do you want to see the people who are talking about you?"
Baloo peered into the infant's nearsighted, wondering brown eyes, which like her mother's, were ringed with lighter fur; he was secretly pleased that they resembled his wife's. "Hiya, Cassie, Cupcake."
Whimpering, Cassie kicked her little legs and flailed her arms as best as she could wrapped up in her baby bunting. The goofy grin disappeared from the big bear's face.
"What's wrong with her, Becky? Am I hurtin' her?" Baloo inquired anxiously.
"I think she's hungry. It's hard work being born, isn't it, Cassandra? It was hard work for Mommy, too."
Baloo passed the cub to his wife, who guided the infant's mouth to her breast. The cub greedily began to suckle.
"She's her father's daughter all right. Look at her eat." Rebecca smiled down at the infant, hugging her close. "Mommy's hungry little girl."
Baloo pulled the blanket up around Cassie's shoulders. "What a day! I thought me an' Kit would never get here."
"Why? What happened?"
"You name it, it happened, Becky. Pirates chasin' us, gettin' thrown in jail, bein' interrogated by short Thembrian colonels, a traffic jam. Man, what a humdinger of a day!"
Rebecca smiled wryly. "Tell me about it, Baloo. Start at the beginning. Did you deliver the cargo?"
"Right on time, boss lady. No problemo about that. Got the receipt right here." He patted his shirt pocket. "Ya remember Colonel - I-ain't-short-yer-too-tall - Spigot?"
Rebecca frowned. "Unfortunately. How could I forget someone who tried to have me shot then hung for a stupid scheme you cooked up, flyboy?" She poked an indignant finger at his chest. "Just to get your paycheck a day early, I almost got killed."
"Yeah, Thembrians love their executions."
Softly, Rebecca said, "If he had been successful, we wouldn't be here. Cassie wouldn't be here." She lovingly stroked the baby's cheek.
Baloo squeezed his wife's arm reassuringly. "Easy, Becky, don't get yer feathers in a knot over the past. Anyways, Spiggy got it into his short head that me an' Kit were spies tryin' ta destroy their flyin' fish statue or somethin' stupid like that. He threw us in jail and asked me a lotta dumb questions. We only got out 'cause Kit bribed Dunder."
"Way to go, Kit! He's so resourceful." Rebecca put Cassie over her shoulder and gently patted her on the back. "He's getting so tall. I stood next to him yesterday and could almost look him directly in the eyes."
"I miss his squeaky voice," Baloo said wistfully, prompting a nod and a sad smile from Rebecca. "An' Molly's gettin' big, too. I thought I was gonna deflate like a balloon the last time she hopped on my stomach. The only real little one we got now is this little one."
Bwaaaaap! went the infant.
"Big burp for a little baby," Baloo chuckled.
The bearess wiped the infant's mouth with a soft cloth. Flashing her husband a teasing glance, she commented ruefully, "Another trait she inherited from you."
"An' on the way home, air pirates started chasin' us, but I..."
"Let me guess - the Baloo Corkscrew?"
Baloo was pleasantly surprised. "Yeah, how'd ya know?"
"I know my husband," Rebecca replied with a mischievous grin. She nudged him gently in the ribs and settled back in his arms with Cassie nestled in her arms. Baloo joined her in gazing down at their baby.
Suddenly, the door flew open. Kit and Molly skidded into the room, closely followed by Wildcat.
"Whew! Made it!" Kit gasped.
Molly giggled. "We gave the nurse the slip."
"And almost slipped on the floor," added Wildcat, waving his arms wildly to illustrate his point. "It was, like, whoa, look out!"
"Are ya kids s'posed ta be here?" Baloo asked with mock sternness.
"We wanted to see the baby," Molly said quietly. "Please, Daddy?" She shot him her best wide-eyed puppy-dog look.
"Wildcat figured since grown-ups were big, they had more germs than smaller kids," Kit explained as he quietly closed the door. "And if grown-ups with their big germs were allowed back here, we kids should be, too."
Rebecca laughed softly, then flinched at the pain that laughing inflicted. "Oddly enough, it makes sense. Okay, kids, since you're here, you might as well say hello."
Molly raced across the room and pounced on the bed,peering down at the baby eagerly. "Hi, I'm your big sister Molly. We're gonna share a room when you get home. Won't that be fun? But ya hafta promise not to touch my toys. Can I hold her, Mommy?"
"Sit in the chair and Daddy will help you. You, too, Kit."
The two cubs squeezed into the chair beside the bed. Baloo laid Cassie in Molly's arms with the following instructions: "Now, her neck muscles ain' strong enough ta support her little head, so ya hafta hold her head for her. Got her, Button-nose?"
"Yep, Daddy."
"And be extremely careful with the top of her head. Don't bump it. She'll have a soft spot there until her bones grow," Rebecca added. Every muscle in her body was taut, ready to catch her baby at a moment's notice.
"My arm's falling asleep!" Molly exclaimed after a few minutes. "Wanna hold her, Kit?"
"Um...sure," the boy said tentatively, afraid that the fragile-looking baby would break if he touched her.
Baloo shifted her over into Kit's arms. Fragile-looking Cassie screamed bloody murder.
"Sorry! Sorry! Papa Bear, take her!" Kit said. He cast his eyes to the floor in disappointment. "Guess she doesn't like me," he murmured to Molly.
"What?" Molly removed her hands from her ears.
Meanwhile, Baloo had given the baby to her mother. Patting Cassie on the back, the infant let out a huge burp.
"Excuse you!" said Molly.
"Been drinking soda pop, Cassie-cat?" Wildcat asked. "Do you like root beer or orange or cherry better? I'm more of a cherry soda kind of guy."
"Another nickname," Rebecca murmured, kissing the infant's cheek. "You're officially part of our family, Cassandra. A true blue von Bruinwald."
"Now she's got that outta her system, why doncha take another whack at it Li'l Britches?" Baloo once again placed Cassie into Kit's arms.
This time, the baby studied Kit's face and grasped a fistful of his shirt. He beamed down at her. "Hey there, little, little sis. You're sure a cutie. When can you come home?"
"Day after tomorrow, sweetie," replied Rebecca, yawning. She smiled at the pretty tableau: Kit and Molly bent adoringly over their new sister.
"Penny for yer thoughts, Beckers," Baloo whispered in her ear.
"I wish I had a camera." She bobbed her head towards her children. "They're simply taken with her."
From his overalls pocket, Wildcat produced a camera. "Will this do, Ree-becca?"
"Will you take the kids' picture, please, Wildcat?"
"Okey-dokey. Say 'peas'!" Wildcat said, focusing the lens.
"Peas!" Kit and Molly chirped, grinning widely.
The camera flashed, causing everyone to see spots.
"Wildcat's turn to hold Cassie," Molly said.
The mechanic's eyes lit up when the newborn was placed in his arms. "Happy birthday to you," he sang, slightly off-key. "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, little Cassie-cat. Happy birthday to youuuuuu! And happy New Year!"
The doorknob rattled.
"Uh-oh!" Kit cried. He and Molly dove under the bed.
The nurse appeared, stating, "Visiting hours are over."
Baloo surreptitiously kicked Kit's baseball cap under the bed. "Aw, do I hafta go so soon? Can't I hold her one more time?"
"Yes, sir," the nurse consented with a smile.
"Bye, Li'l Lassie Cassie. Daddy'll come see ya tomorrow, Cupcake." He cuddled the baby close and smooched her tiny nose before handing her to the nurse.
When the door clicked shut, the cubs crawled out from under the bed and Kit adjusted his cap.
"Come kiss me goodnight," Rebecca said, holding her arms out to her children.
"Night, Mommy."
"Night, Mom."
The bearess kissed both children, saying, "I love you, Kit. I love you, Molly. Be good for Daddy. Kit, the documents for tomorrow's Super Super Glue shipment are in my out-box, all signed, sealed, just needs to be delivered. Promptly." She cast a pointed look at her husband.
"Count on us to stick to the schedule, Beckers." The big bear chuckled to himself over the bad pun.
Rebecca and Kit shared a weak smile, groaning.
"See you in a couple of days, Mom." Kit waved from the door. "Ready, sis?"
"Pull chocks, big brother." She gave him a thumbs-up.
With that, the cubs snuck down the hall under the noses of the unsuspecting and unobservant hospital staff.
Wildcat squeezed Rebecca's hand with an unusually perceptive smile, and he too walked out of the room and promptly went in the wrong direction.
"Wildcat, this way!" Kit hissed.
Baloo gathered his wife in his arms. "I'll pop in tomorrow afternoon after the cargo run. Get lotsa shut-eye. You deserve it. You did a bang-up job."
"I feel banged up, almost as if a truck had hit me," she joked with a fatigued smile, too worn-out to return his hug. "But it's difficult to fall asleep. It's so quiet here."
As if to disprove her statement, a dinner cart went rattling down the hallway.
Rebecca rested her head on Baloo's chest and closed her eyes. Her voice grew softer with every syllable as she whispered, "You're not...snoring...in...my...ear." And she was asleep.
Baloo settled her back on the pillow and drew the blanket up to her chin. "Sleep tight, my darlin' Becky." He kissed her on the cheek and forehead lightly and tiptoed to the door. Before flipping off the light, he regarded her sleeping form for a second, smiling. Then, he strolled down the hall to the waiting room.
"Can we go home now, Daddy? This place is boring, it smells funny, and I'm hungry," Molly whined.
Baloo boosted her to his shoulders. "Whattaya say we eat out tonight, kids? This bear feels like celebratin'."
Flo's Diner
A half an hour later, Baloo, Wildcat, Kit, and Molly occupied a booth at Flo's Diner in downtown Cape Suzette. Flo's Diner was a little hole-in-the-wall place. It was longer than it was wider with two rows of booths divided by a narrow aisle. The kitchen, separated from the eating area by a makeshift plywood partition, ran down the length of one wall. Despite its shabby appearance, this diner served some of the best and fastest prepared fast-food in Cape Suzette.
"A coupla days, then we can get everything back ta normal," Baloo said jovially, slurping his tapioca pudding.
Kit, seated diagonally across the table from the big bear, laughed. "It won't be quite the same with Cassie crying in the middle of the night."
The exuberant smile fell from the pilot's face. "Forgot about that."
Unexpectedly, Molly, seated beside Baloo, said soberly, "Daddy, do you love Cassie more than Kit and me?"
Baloo almost spit out his pudding. "No way, José! What put such a crazy idea in yer pretty little head, Muffin?" He cupped her quivering chin in his palm and tilted her sad-looking countenance up towards him.
"I...I...I...thought since Cassie's your real daughter and...and we're...just your adopted kids that you...you..." she stammered, tears swimming in her earnest brown eyes.
Baloo thought seriously for a moment on the best way to answer. "Does yer mom love you more'n Kit, because you're her real daughter an' he's her adopted son?"
"No," the eight-year-old sniffled, burying her face in her father's shirt.
"It's the same thing, sweetie." Baloo hugged her tightly. "Now, turn that frown upside-down, Molly! We're havin' a party here for yer sister."
Wiping her eyes with her napkin, Molly giggled at the funny face that Kit made at her across the table.
Between bites of a jellybean omelet, Wildcat said, "Wouldn't it make more sense to have a party for Cassie when she's here?"
"You mean like a welcome home party, Wildcat?" Kit said, taking a sip of his chocolate milkshake.
"Yeah, just to say, 'Hey, how are ya doing?' and 'Here's where we live and where you live' and 'Here's the refrigerator if you get hungry, man'."
"Daddy?" Molly said, her forehead creased in thought as she spooned a bite of Frosty Pep into her mouth.
"Yeah?" Baloo mumbled, intent on wolfing down his dessert.
"Of course, she isn't a man," Wildcat said to himself. "She's a little, tiny-winy, itsy-bitsy, teensy-weensy girl."
"Where do babies come from?" Molly asked innocently.
This time, Baloo did spit out his pudding. It sprayed all over Wildcat's face.
"Was it supposed to rain today?" the mechanic wondered, looking up at the ceiling.
Napkin in hand, Kit assisted Wildcat in cleaning up.
Baloo choked out, "Oh...hey...well...uh, about that party, Wildcat. Great idea! Super idea! We'll hafta plan a coupla things. Get some food an' gifts."
But Molly wasn't to be deterred that easily. "Did Cassie come from Mommy's tummy?"
"Yeah," Baloo mumbled, hoping that Molly would stop there. His face turned bright red.
"How did she get in there?"
"Um...well...Kit, what were you sayin' earlier about Boang's new plane?" He kicked the boy under the table and his look clearly said, 'play along'.
"About the wingspan modifications?"
"What about 'em?" Baloo said, kicking Kit again.
Kit grinned. He was used to getting his Papa Bear out of jams, but he wished that Baloo wouldn't kick so hard. "From what I read in Flyboy Magazine..."
Wildcat interjected with, "I can tell you where babies come from."
"You can?" Molly sat up straighter, all ears.
"First of all, there's, like, a white stork who zooms around way up high in the sky. Eeerr, honk, honk. And he dives into a cabbage patch and picks the biggest pumpkin that he can find. He goes knock, knock. It pops open and, oh, boy! - or girl! - a baby comes out. The stork puts the baby into a glass slipper and flies aaaaaallll over looking for the baby's mommy and daddy. When he finds them, he puts a twinkle in the daddy's eye and puts the baby in the mommy's tummy. After a long, long time, the baby wants to come out of its mommy's tummy, 'cause there's a big, wide world to explore. The mommy goes to the doctor, and the doctor says, 'abra cadabra' and poof! The baby appears in his black bag. And that's it."
Baloo and Kit had to use all of their self-control to keep from guffawing.
Trusting Molly accepted the story without a single thought. "Oh...so that's how it works. I gotta go to the bathroom."
"I'll take you, Molly." Kit slid out of the booth, took his sister by the hand, and walked her to the bathroom in the rear of the diner.
"Whew!" Baloo sighed, clapping the mechanic on the shoulder. "Thanks for savin' my bacon, Wildcat."
"I did? But you went chomp, chomp, gulp, and the bacon went bye-bye." Wildcat stared at the pilot in confusion.
Baloo smacked his forehead. "Never mind."
Higher for Hire
Two Days Later
"Hurry, Wildcat! Mommy and Cassie will be here any second," Molly said to the mechanic, who was stringing a banner reading WELCOME HOME across the ceiling of the office/living room.
On the other side of the room, Kit stepped back to admire his handiwork. He had arranged a bunch of helium-filled balloons and a bouquet of flowers around the pile of presents on the desk.
Hearing the car pull up, Molly exclaimed, "They're here!" and let go of the ladder she was holding to run to the window.
Losing his balance, Wildcat clutched desperately at the banner. "Whoa-oh-oh!"
Kit lunged for the swaying ladder and steadied it.
A dizzy Wildcat slowly descended the ladder, murmuring, "I wanna ride the bumper cars next."
"Surprise! Surprise!" the cubs shouted as Rebecca holding a sleeping Cassie stepped through the door.
"Merry Christmas!" added Wildcat cheerfully.
"My goodness! What's all this?" Rebecca's twinkling eyes traveled from the cub's beaming faces to the slightly crooked banner to the presents on her desk.
"A little somethin' we cooked up for you an' Cassie," Baloo replied, wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulders. "Welcome home, honey."
"It was Wildcat's idea," Molly piped up, hopping up and down with excitement. "When can we eat the cake?"
"Whoa, feather yer props, Button-nose. Let yer mama get in the door first."
Rebecca laid the slumbering Cassie in the bassinet beside her desk. Everyone gathered around it.
Baloo looked down at the baby and then over at his wife. One question burned in his mind. "Now whatta we do?"
"Eat cake!" Molly shouted.
"Shh..." Rebecca admonished quietly, putting a finger to her lips. "Don't wake the baby."
"Sorry, Mommy. Let's eat cake," Molly whispered.
A few minutes later, Kit remarked, "Too bad Cassie can't eat any of her own birthday cake." He dug into his second piece. "It's really good."
"More for us," Molly said happily, licking pink frosting off her lips with her pink tongue.
Baloo glanced across the table at Rebecca, who was picking at her cake. She'd barely tasted a morsel. "Whattsa matter, Beckers?"
"I'm not very hungry," she said quietly. All she wanted to do was take a nap, but work - housework and paperwork - loomed in the back of her mind. She had a lot of catching up to do.
"Ya wanna open presents instead?" he asked gently.
"Okay." She flashed him a tired smile.
The group trooped into the office and clustered around Rebecca seated at the desk.
"This one's from Wildcat." Rebecca tore off the newspaper to reveal a mobile with miniature yellow airplanes and blue clouds. "Oh, it's lovely, Wildcat. Thank you."
"Push the button on top, Ree-becca."
A tinkling lullaby emanated from a little speaker box on top of the mobile. The airplanes and clouds revolved around a bright orange sun.
"It's just beautiful! How do you do that, Wildcat?"
He shrugged. "Comes and goes," was his enigmatical answer. Whistling, he whipped a screwdriver from one of his bottomless pockets and began installing the mobile over the bassinet.
Molly eagerly plopped a light, lumpy package into her mother's lap. "Open this one next. It's from me and Kit."
Inside the wrapping paper was a white, fuzzy stuffed bear with a pink ribbon tied around its neck.
"Shake it. It rattles," Kit said. "And the flowers are for you, Mom. Those are from everybody."
"How thoughtful, kids. She's going to love the bear, I love the flowers," Rebecca pulled her older children into her arms, "and I love both of you."
"It's bigger'n she is," Baloo said, propping the teddy bear in a corner of the bassinet.
"This one must be from her daddy," Rebecca said, picking up the last package. Inside was a tiny pink romper with the words 'Daddy's Little Angel' on the front.
"Oh, Baloo, it's adorable!" Rebecca gushed.
"Cute, Papa Bear." Kit playfully nudged his father in the stomach with his elbow, causing Baloo's cheeks to turn the same shade as the romper.
Molly stared at the white lettering on the romper, frowning. "I thought I was your little angel, Daddy."
"Yer my big little angel now, Pigtails."
Molly wasn't satisfied with that answer. She fixed her skeptical gaze on her father, but he wasn't paying attention to her. In fact, he was staring at Cassie.
In her bassinet, Cassie coughed and spit up. Baloo, Rebecca, Wildcat, and Kit immediately leaned over the infant, exclaiming, "How cute!"
However Molly didn't see what was so cute about it. Screwing up her nose, she cried indignantly, "She threw up! That's yucky!" Somehow, something had changed and Molly didn't like it one bit!
End of part 2