It was a few hours past midnight. In the medical room, everyone who was present there was asleep.
Queen finally slept uninterruptedly for the first time in many hours, Lancer had fallen asleep with a satisfied stomach shortly after his last feed… yes, even Iggy was asleep since she was on break for now.
The temperature of Queen's core had done nothing but decrease for the last few hours, which was an excellent thing, since she could think better, handle foods of a slightly higher temperature now and was even able to fall asleep easier without feeling negative fatigue. She did still sleep with a cold pack on her chest and a cup of cold water next to her bed, though, for her own safety.
Queen's core currently had the temperature of 24 degrees centigrade, which was very close to the usual healthy temperature of 22. The fan in the back of her head was blowing softly, driving off all of the unnecessary heat that was left in her system.
A little later, Lancer woke up feeling uncomfortable, crying fairly loudly as he did.
Said cries woke Queen up quicker since she and Lancer slept close to one another, and upon sitting up, the cyber monarch realised that she felt a lot better than for the past few days.
Nice My Core Doesn't Seem To Be Overheated Anymore, she thought, I'm Absolutely Thankful For Iggy And Eiji And Their: Tender Loving Care.
Queen then got up and quietly turned towards Lancer in his glass box.
"Aww Lancey Dearie What's Wrong?" Queen carefully picked her baby out of the glass box, but then flinched a little upon sensing the reason behind his cries, her face briefly scrunching up as she did. "Oh It's Your Nappy Isn't It?" She gently kissed Lancer's cheek, laid him back into his temporary bed and gave him his soother before turning the small nearby light on so she could find the changing supplies easier.
The light being turned on now woke Iggy up and she initially couldn't believe what she saw.
"M… my Queen?" Iggy mumbled a little drowsily.
"Yes Doc?" Queen said.
"How are you feeling right now? Are you sure you can handle taking care of Lancer now?"
"Oh Of Course Don't Be Too Concerned. My Core Has Cooled Down A Lot Since: I Slept."
"That's good to hear. If it remains that way once the morning comes, I'll be allowed to discharge you and Lancer."
"I Agree With: These Terms And Conditions." In the meantime, Queen had found what she needed and started changing Lancer soon after.
Now that Iggy was awake anyway, she turned her desk light on to write some new notes in Queen's medical journal, smiling in approval of the progress that her secondary monarch had made within nearly 2 days.
Once the notes were almost done, Lancer was clean and content again and no longer cried.
Queen sanitised her hands well and settled herself back into her bed with her baby in her grasp for the first time in many, many hours.
"Hi Sweet Lancey-Pancey-Spider…!" Queen whispered, her visor showing the '^^' emote while she did. "I'm So Glad To Have You With Me Again…! How Have You Been…?"
Logically enough, Lancer did not really respond to said questions, idly looking back at his mother while quietly and slowly sucking his soother. But from the inside, he was highly pleased to be in his mother's arms and presence again.
"Daddy Didn't Really Take Care Of You While Mummy Healed Did He Now? Did He Just Leave You To: The Others? Yeah He's A Naughty Man Yes He Is…!"
From the corner of her eyes, Iggy watched Queen interact with Lancer, which warmed her heart and even made her a little emotional. She knew that Queen loved her son a lot, and she, too, felt Lancer's pain when he was not with his mother after the first six hours of his fragile life.
"But The Others Did Take Good Care Of You And That's What Makes Me So Happy…!" The cyber monarch then yawned a little, in response to which she carefully laid Lancer back into the glass box before taking a brief swig of the water from the cup on her bedside table.
The baby spadeling did not approve of this, though, as he started crying again despite still having his soother in his mouth.
"I'm Sorry Sweetie But I Too Need My Sleep. Iggy Told Me To Not Fall Asleep With You In: My Arms."
"Huh?" Iggy said shortly before having processed the full sentence. "Yeah, I indeed said that…! You remembered that very well, my Queen. But it's no problem to still have Lancer in your arms until he falls asleep himself, though. Just be sure to stay awake until then, alright?"
Queen nodded and chuckled softly but sweetly as she took Lancer back into her grasp, his cries slowly but surely dying back down afterwards.
"You're A Real Mummy's Boy Aren't You? Yes You Are…"
Lancer listened to his mother's softly beating core and sensed its comfortable warmth while he was being rocked in Queen's arms very gently.
At some point, he softly yawned every now and then, with Queen making sure to hold on to the knob of his soother for safety whenever he did so.
Then, the cyber monarch got a little idea.
Back when she was still young, her mother slowly but surely taught her a lullaby that had been passed on to many generations of important Darkners throughout the years of the Dark World's existence. Said lullaby had been sung to Queen herself ever since she was a baby, but also to Swatch, who even knew how to play it on the piano for over a decade now.
Maybe the lullaby would help soothe Lancer's spirit and soul a little so he could fall asleep easier and remain that way once he'd be laid back into the glass box? There'd only be one way to find out.
"When The Light Is Running Low" Queen sang gently as she continued rocking Lancer, "And The Shadows Start To Grow, And The Places That You Know Seem Like Fantasy. There's A Light Inside Your Soul That's Still Shining In The Cold, With The Truth, The Promise In Our Hearts. Don't Forget I'm With You In: The Dark."
The baby spadeling was out like a light before the last part was even sung. His breathing pattern and the way he sucked his soother were now significantly slower but in any case calmer than beforehand.
Queen laid the infant back into his glass box very carefully, expecting him to immediately start crying again, but sighing in genuine relief when this didn't happen after 10 seconds.
"Good Night Sweet Lancer…" she whispered quietly before laying back down herself and closing her not-directly-visible eyes, which she no longer wanted to keep open for even a split millisecond.
"Good night, my Queen" Iggy quietly said. "You did a great job putting Lancer to sleep just now."
The praise fell on deaf ears, however, as Queen had already fallen asleep as soon as she received her goodnight wish.
Iggy yawned widely, made herself comfortable in her desk chair and promptly fell asleep herself as well. Night shift will never be easy for any doctor, you know?
Queen turned the computer in the main room on stand-by mode after a long Spyke call with some of her peers, stood up from the desk chair, adjusted Lancer in her arms and headed towards the sofa, where King was still watching some sort of chat show on the television.
"Kingy Wingy?" Queen asked as she sat down next to her husband.
"Yes?" King replied.
"Would You Permit My Peers To Come Over Here To: See Lancer?"
"Of course, but they should be gentle with Lancer."
"Sweetheart Of Course They'll Be Gentle With Him. What Do You Take Them For? Hooligans?" Queen laughed at her own statement, her visor showing the text 'LMAO' while she did.
"You get the idea. I will allow visitors like friends to come and meet Lancer, but they should not make ruckus or chaos, which is common sense here at Card Castle."
"But That's Only Logical."
"When would you like them to visit, by the way?"
"Next Week Since We All Still Need To Recover From: The Last Few Days."
"I need Lancer's entire babyhood to recover from all of the crying he does every hour."
"Oh Don't Be Such A Petty Pumpkin Kingy Wingy."
"What was that?!"
Queen simply laughed her husband's yelling off, whereas Lancer immediately started crying because of how loud that yelling was.
"Ugh, look at what you made me do…" King facepalmed and sighed dramatically.
"Your Pettiness Is Not: My Problem." The cyber monarch, whose visor briefly showed the text 'bro?' while she spoke, got back up from the sofa, playfully stuck her tongue out at King and went to the connected secondary main room, where she closed the door behind her. "Aww Poor Sweet Lancer Did Daddy Just Shock You?" She gently rocked Lancer in her arms and wandered around the room while doing so. "Shh Shh Please Abort Your Sadness Protocol Sweetheart It's Okay Mummy Is Here."
Slowly but surely, the baby spadeling's cries turned from distressed screeches into low-pitched whines that indicated hunger.
Queen gently laid her infant son into the playpen in the corner of the room and gave him his soother and a small rattle before heading to the kitchenette in the corner across to prepare a bottle for him.
Just as the bottle was about to be warmed up, Rouxls entered the secondary room, immediately feeling a chill crawl up his spine when he heard Lancer cry.
"Good noon, mine Queene" Rouxls idly greeted the cyber monarch before immediately heading towards Lancer. "Aww, what art wrong, mine little worm?"
"King Was As Mean To: Yell At Us" Queen replied. "But Now Lancer Is Just Hungry."
"King did what?!"
"Yeah He's Still Petty About Whenever Lancer Cries And Refuses To Tolerate It Which Makes 0% Sense."
"Ay, I art familiar with that. Our Kinge just loveth to burdeneth me with his son for he simply weeps which art just a commoneth little worm thing."
"It's A Good Thing That I'm Back In The Picture In That Case. I'm The Lover Of: Order Not Chaos."
"Thou hast a goodeth point with the Kinge causing chaos ever sinceth his son came. Always thinking that little worm art naught his problem." Rouxls picked Lancer up in his arms, gently took the rattle from his tiny grasp and shook it in front of his face in an attempt to amuse him.
Just a little while later, the bottle was ready and taken out of its heater by Queen, who went towards Rouxls and Lancer.
"It's Feeding Time Sweet Lancey-Pancey-Spider" she said as she carefully took the fussy spadeling from the arms of the Duke of Puzzles. "Are You Hungry? Yes You Are…!" She then took the baby's soother out so his little hungry mouth had all of the space for the teat of the bottle.
Rouxls was left a little befuddled while just holding on to the rattle and the soother now. He just had such a good time with Lancer…!
Lancer himself drank his formula almost as frantically as he cried the other second, but had calmed down significantly due to his hunger finally being satisfied.
"BTW Rouxls Baby Formula Still Should Not Have Any Sugar Added For Lancer Doesn't Need That Yet."
"Ay, I knowst" Rouxls sighed, "for thy husband hast screeched at me about that recently-eth."
"But You're Always Welcome To Ask Me For Some: Parenting Advice. I Know Better Than That Silly Kingy Wingy Often Does."
"That art indeed a remarkable thing about thee. Thou art a very intelligentst Queene who always knoweth even the tiniest details."
While Queen and Rouxls continued rambling and Lancer continued drinking the last few millilitres of his formula, Nubert, who had warped to the end of Scarlet Forest via the warp door not too long ago, had entered the castle and soon found Lancer's presence in the secondary room.
Nobody seemed to notice Nubert's sudden presence, not even when he tried to make his way into Lancer's playpen like some sort of clumsy ninja with two left hands.
"...And That's Exactly Why I Should Spend More Time With Lancer Too" Queen said. "That Poor Bouncy Little Pumpkin Is Seemingly Afraid Of His Own Father!" She stopped patting Lancer's back once he burped successfully. "There You Go Sweetheart That's Better Huh?" She laid her son back into her left arm and dabbed his mouth with the cloth that she had draped over her shoulder beforehand.
"Thou manageth that liketh an expert!" Rouxls said in a surprised tone. "It art like thou wereth born for this!"
"The Perks Of Having A Little Stepsibling…!" Queen chuckled, her visor showing the text 'haha' while she did. "Even If Swatch Was A Little Older Than Lancer When We First Met They Were: A Darling. Oh And Still Is BTW."
Rouxls chuckled at how ridiculous that last sentence partly sounded.
"I Should Probably Talk To King Will You Keep An Eye On My Sweet Little Lancey-Pancey-Spider My Dear Shakespearean Friend?"
"Of courseth, mine Queene, and I shalt not let thee or thy little worm down, I promiseth."
"Don't Worry I Can: Trust You." Queen smiled sweetly as she ruffled Rouxls's hair, laid Lancer back into the playpen and gave him his soother and rattle back. "Mummy Will Be Back Soon Lancer Sweetie Honey Darling Gravy…!" She peppered the baby's soft cheeks with many small kisses and tickled his belly a little before suddenly noticing the presence of someone else than just her son in the playpen. "Oh Hi There Nubert Good To See You Too."
Nubert blushed and smiled sweetly upon being noticed, being comfortable in his own little corner of the playpen.
"Be Good Alright?" With a brief hand wave to Rouxls, the cyber monarch went back to the main room, closing the door behind her as she did.
Rouxls went to the playpen to check on Lancer, who was feeling content enough on his own. Or was he…?
"Ooh" the Duke of Puzzles said upon noticing Nubert, "niceth plushie thou hast there, little worm." He wanted to caress Lancer's belly with his fingertips, but then actually noticed Nubert's presence. "Waiteth one minute, that art no plushie!"
"Nubert loves being one of the playpen toys" Nubert chuckled mischievously yet sweetly.
"What art thou doingeth in the little worm's playpen?"
"Nubert just wanted to meet the baby. His name is Lancer, right? Nubert overheard the others at Queen's Mansion who were calling Queen on the computer."
"Yes, his… um… ay. The little worm's name art Lancer. Please doth be careful with him, though, for he art a fragile little worm still."
"Don't worry. I'm Nubert. Everybody loves me. That's why I became one with the playpen." The small red Darkner got out of 'his' corner of the playpen and settled himself right next to Lancer, who didn't seem bothered by his presence by any means. "See?"
"Well, knocketh thyself out, I guesseth." With a shrug, Rouxls sat down on the nearby armchair just next to the bookshelf and grabbed one of those books for himself to read.
Nubert was not at all bothered by Lancer consistently squeezing and squishing him almost everywhere with his tiny, grabby hands, even when said squeezes almost felt like nasty pinches. (To us humans, at least.) In fact, it seemed to be so therapeutic for the both of them that they had swiftly fallen asleep out of genuine relaxation soon after, about which Rouxls wouldn't even bother to complain for he fully enjoyed this rare moment of silence as well.