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Gift From the Sea
Chapter Three
Four hours later, Sally knocked on Wufei's apartment door. She had come over because she wondered how he was handling having to give away the baby. He seemed genuinely concerned for it.
Wufei didn't answer his door so Sally knocked again. Still no answer. She sighed in frustration and took out the apartment key he had given her three years ago for emergencies. She opened the door and went inside.
She found him asleep on the couch covered up with a blanket. She smiled at the sleeping boy. He was so adorable when he slept, his mouth open a bit, not drooling, but almost. It was just totally cute.
She was about to leave when she noticed he had a lump on his chest under the covers. 'What the-?' she thought. She knew if she pulled down the blanket to see he'd wake up, but she didn't care. Sally gently took the blanket and pulled it down revealing the baby he was supposed to have taken to the orphanage asleep on his chest, now dressed in black baby clothes with little red dragons all over it. It even had little feeties. She had a black tiny stocking hat on her head and a little blue pacifier in her mouth.
Suddenly Wufei's eyes flew open and he sat up, holding the baby to his chest. He blinked when he realized who it was. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.
"What are you still doing with that baby and why did you buy her clothes?" she countered.
He looked down at the baby in his arms. "I decided to keep her," He said warmly. Sally noticed suddenly that the living room had bags of newborn sized diapers, baby formulas, bottles, brushes, clothes, pacifiers, Q-tips, rubbing alcohol, blankets, baby powder, baby wipes and a stack of parenting and baby books.
"Keep her?' she repeated, looking back at him. "Wufei you have no idea how to take care of a baby!"
"I'll learn. I have plenty of books to help me. I've also been informed of several helpful websites."
"Why didn't you take her to the orphanage and leave her?" she moaned in exasperation.
"Because I can't abandon her!" he said almost angrily. "I won't!"
"It's not abando-"
"Yes it is! Just leaving her with people and going about my life like she never existed is abandoning!"
"Wufei-"
"What?" he snapped.
"Why do you want her so badly?"
"...I don't know," he answered, looking at the baby. "It's just that when ever I look at her I suddenly feel calm and relaxed. And I like her. Alot. And I won't leave her to let just anybody have her!"
Sally blinked in surprise. She never expected him to make a confession like that. She smiled warmly. "What's her name?" she asked.
"I was thinking about that when I fell asleep," Wufei answered, visibly relaxing. "I was thinking….Lian?"
"Lian?" she repeated.
"It's stupid isn't it," he said lowering his eyes in embarassment.
"No! I love it! It's perfect, I just wasn't expecting a name so elegant. I was thinking you'd choose a fighting name."
"A fighting name doesn't suit her," he said defensively. "…So, it's Lian." He smiled at the baby still asleep in his arms.
"Chang Lian," Sally said thoughtfully. "It sounds good," she smiled.
"Sally?" Wufei said softly. "...You know you're like a mother to me..."
"Yeah," she answered slowly, wondering what he was getting at.
"I wanted to thank you for understanding and for not forcing me to giver her up."
"Don't thank me," she smiled.
"So since I'm like your son, that makes Lian like your granddaughter, so will you give her free doctor's services?"
Sally looked at him strangely. "We're not that close," she said.
That night around two, Sally was woken by the phone ringing. She answered it.
"Sally!" she heard Wufei say loudly. In the background Lian was crying. "She won't stop crying! I've done everything I can think of plus some!"
"You fed her?" Affirmative. "Burped her?" Yes. "Changed her?" Yes. "Maybe her diaper's too tight."
"I've already thought of that. Any looser and her diaper will fall off."
"Uh...Maybe she's sleepy."
"If she's sleepy, wouldn't she just go to sleep?!"
"Not all the time...Are you holding her?"
"No."
"Pick her up and see if that helps her."
"...No luck..."
"Try walking around while gently rocking her in your arms....Gently."
"Ok...." Wufei said and soon Lian stopped crying. To him, the silence made him notice the ringing in his ears. "Hey it's working." he said in amazement. "Thanks Sally!"
"Sure anytime," she said. "Was that all you needed?...Ok then. I'll see you tomorrow. ...Why? Because you're gonna get Lian a birth certificate tomorrow morning, and that means you'll have to get all her shots. So I'll give her the shots myself."
"Half price?" he asked innocently.
"We'll see...I'm going back to sleep now. Ok, bye."
The next morning, Wufei was woken by Lian crying. She had slept with him on the other side of the bed and would continue to do so until he got her a crib.
"I'm up, I'm up," he groaned. "I bet your hungry again, huh." He picked her up and went into the kitchen with her and put a pot of water on the stove. He pulled a can of baby formula from the box on the counter. He read the directions on the back of the fomula box and mixed the formula with water in a bottle and stuck the bottle in the hot water.
He looked at the still crying baby in his arms. "Look, see? I'm making food as fast as I can," he said rocking her in his arms. "You don't have to cry."
He turned off the stove and tested the milk on his wrist like the parenting book he was reading said. It was fine, so he held the bottle to her mouth and she eagerly accepted it.
While he fed her he made himself a pot of strong coffee. By the first sip he could feel himself wake up. By the time Lian was done with the bottle, he was fully awake.
He changed her diaper and then changed her clothes, since she had slept in them and drooled milk all over them. He chose a light blue baby one piece with feeties. He left the buttons on her stomach unbuttoned so her umbilical cord wouldn't hurt her. He put a blue stocking hat on her head and gave her a pacifier.
"Ok," Wufei said to the baby as he picked up a baby blanket and wrapped it around her. "Here's the story we'll tell the people at the courthouse..." he thought for a second. "...that... you were born on a houseboat yesterday morning around...Sally said you were born two hours before I found you so....you were born yesterday morning on a houseboat around 3....Your mom died giving birth-No! She took off as soon as we got to shore. Yeah that's it! She said she was too young for a baby, only sixteen..."
Wufei thought some more. "...She ran off to her parents, refusing to talk to me or see you." He looked at Lian. "How's that sound, hm?" he realized she was asleep again.
He smiled warmly at her. "It'll be good enough I hope." If he told the truth about finding Lian, the officials would take her away from him since legally he couldn't keep her.
He hugged her gently to him. "You were born July 24, A.C. 198. 3 A.M." he said to her.
He looked at Lian again. She was so tiny. She seemed so fragile that he was constantly afraid he would hurt her. He found it amazing how she was so trusting to him. She totally depended on him.
Wufei walked carefully to the bedroom. He put her on the bed and went into the bathroom to take a shower, not closing the bathroom door so he could hear if she started to cry.
R&R, please! Thanks again, everyone, for the reviews! Suggestions for upcoming chapters are most welcome! Also, should I make this PG-13 for language (upcoming chapters)?
