Chapter 3: Babysitting
"Thank you so much for doing this!" Brandy hugged Chilli again as she handed over the large bag of baby supplies. "His feeding schedule is on the formula and I left some notes on what to do if he gets fussy-not that you need them, you already raised two girls of your own…" Brandy waved her hand. "Sorry, I'm just a bit frazzled. I got this sprung on me last minute and they don't have childcare there and my daycare isn't open on Saturdays…"
Chilli smiled. "It's okay; you take the day for your conference-I know you'll do great with your presentation. Bandit and I can handle one extra little one for the day."
"You're a lifesaver." She pecked her sister on the cheek before picking up the baby carrier from the porch. She smiled down at Austin, who was happily grabbing at the rings hanging down from the handle of his carrier. "I have to go. I promise I'll be home by tonight. Be good for your aunt and uncle, okay?"
Austin gurgled in response. Chilli and Brandy both chuckled.
Brandy heard a buzz from her phone. "Crap, it's my boss, I have to go." She pecked Austin on the forehead. "I love you Aussie!" She handed the carrier to Chilli and ran down the steps, answering an incoming call as she got in her car. Within a minute she'd disappeared down the block.
"Well, come on, let's get you in." Chilli smiled, hoisting the carrier in one arm and the bag in the other. It was a short walk into the family room where Bandit was watching the news.
"Oh, did Brandy leave already?" He asked, glancing at his phone. "She wasn't due until seven; I figured she'd visit for a little."
"Her boss wants her there early so she had to go." Chilli replied as she sat on the couch beside him, placing the carrier in the middle.
Bandit shrugged, smiling at the carrier. "Hey Austin, how's my little guy?" Bandit tickled the blue heeler's stomach, leading to some happy yips from the tot.
Chilli smiled, "You always were great when they were little."
"I'm glad to see I haven't lost my touch." Bandit replied as he scratched the babe's ears.
"He really does look a lot like you…" Chilli remarked, looking at the infant.
"Yeah, but that's just genetics." He pecked his wife on the snout. "Hopefully he got some of the Cattle genes to counteract mine."
Chilli rolled her eyes, "Well, the girls turned out fine. I think Austin has a fighting chance."
Bandit chuckled. "Here, I'll go and get the girls up and get started on brekkie. You okay with watching Aus for a while?"
"But of course." Chilli said in a posh accent. "Anything for my lovely nephew and husband."
Bandit walked upstairs and opened Bingo's door first. The two girls had eventually adjusted to having separate rooms, well, mostly adjusted they still passed each other notes frequently in the hall, and given that Bingo was the heavier sleeper it made sense to get her up first.
"Bingo…" Bandit tapped her foot.
Bingo growled slightly and turned away.
"Oh Bingo…" Bandit said a little louder, tapping her tail.
Bingo curled up.
"Oh no, where has my Bingo gone?" Bandit asked in mock distress. "Maybe I can find her with some tickle crabs!"
Bingo's eyes shot open as Bandit tickled her back. He grinned, partially because of the slight revenge for all the tickle crabs the girls had forced him into over the years, and partially because it was genuinely fun. "Tickle tickle tickle!"
Bingo laughed as she rolled on the bed. "Not fair! Tickle crabs don't bother sleeping people!"
"That isn't how I remembered it when you and Bluey tickled me out of a nap…" Bandit continued waggling his fingers.
"Ha ha! Okay! Sorry! You got me!"
Bandit stopped. "See what it's like mate?" He pecked her on the forehead.
"Sorry dad."
"It's okay, now come on, let's get you brekkie. I'll get your sister."
It was much easier to get Bluey up, all Bandit had to do was open the door and the younger blue heeler was rubbing her eyes.
"Morning Bluey."
She yawned, "Morning dad…"
"Brekkie's on downstairs, get a move-on or I'll have to let Bingo eat it all." Bandit joked.
"We both know that's not true. Bingo eats like a bird." Bluey smiled as she got out of bed and walked over to her father, hugging his leg.
"Well, ya got me there. Come on, mate." Bandit brushed the puff of hair on top of her head with his paw, the cornflower tuft refusing to stay in place.
"Carry me?"
Bandit huffed, "Bluey you're eight, nearly nine. You're 25 kilos, I can't carry you down the stairs, I'll throw my back out."
Bluey put on a massive please face.
Bandit groaned. "Fine. But this is the last time. I swear… The things I do for you kids…"
When they arrived at the table Bingo was already spreading butter on toast as Chilli handed Austin his bottle.
"Oh yeah, I forgot Aunt Brandy said Austin was visiting today." Bluey remarked, hopping out of her father's arms.
Bingo watched the milk disappear from the bottle, "He's really thirsty."
"Well, it is how he eats." Chilli remarked.
"It is?" Bingo asked.
"Austin isn't old enough to eat food like we do; he only can have formula right now. When he's a little older he'll start on baby food, but that isn't for another month or two." Bandit replied as he cracked his back.
"What's formula?" Bluey asked.
"It's artificial milk." Bandit began as he sat down, "Well, not artificial like fake, more like not from a dog."
"Wait, we can make milk?" Bluey asked, looking down at her cereal, suddenly distrusting of the milk in her bowl.
"Yes, all mammals can." Chilli explained.
"Then why do we have to buy milk from the store? I bet dad could make tons of milk! He's almost as big as a cow." Bluey stated.
"Hey!" Bandit frowned.
"Bluey, that wasn't nice." Bingo scolded.
"Oops. Sorry, you aren't a cow, dad."
"Thanks, I guess." I really do need to take Rocco up on that offer to start going to the gym with him.
"We don't use our milk because we can't make milk all the time, and your father could never make milk anyway." Chilli explained.
"He couldn't?" Bingo asked.
"Only girls can make milk." Chilli explained, "But only for a little while, we only make milk when we have babies. That way the baby can drink its mother's milk to grow."
"So why doesn't Aunt Brandy use her milk?" Bluey asked.
"It's complicated…" Chilli sighed, "Sometimes women don't make enough milk, and so for Austin to get enough to grow he needs formula."
"That makes sense." Bluey nodded.
***MH***
It was after breakfast when Austin was settled and put down for a nap in his pack-and-play that the girls were playing upstairs in the living room. Bandit and Chilli were both busy tending to housework and periodically checking that Austin was doing fine, leaving the two to talk.
"Austin looks a lot like dad." Bingo said as she added a block to her stack.
"Yeah, he does." Bluey nodded in agreement as she built on her own tower.
"Why do you think that is?" Bingo asked. "I mean, you look like dad, but he's our dad. Austin's our cousin, dad isn't his dad."
Bluey shrugged, "I think it's because Aunt Brandy wanted it so hard, so she wished and her wish came true so she got a baby in her belly. Because she doesn't have a husband the baby decided to look like dad because he's Austin's uncle, so he's the closest thing he has to a dad."
"Maybe…" Bingo nodded. "I think it's because mum and dad said they were thinking about maybe getting us a brother."
"Oh yeah, mum did say that she wanted a new baby…" Bluey recalled when she overheard her parents talking in their room about something called a 'franger' and how her mum and dad had argued about it and babies…
"I think maybe it got mixed up, and that our new brother ended up with Aunt Brandy instead. She got pregnant when it should've been mum. That's why Austin looks like dad."
"I think that's it!" Bluey agreed. "Wait, we can't tell mum and dad." Bluey ordered, "Mum wanted a new baby and if she found out that Aunt Brandy got it instead she'll be sad."
"I think we should tell them. Mum says we should always be honest. Maybe we can make sure mum and dad have a new baby, then they won't be sad that Austin ended up with Aunt Brandy. Besides, Aunt Brandy really wanted a baby too; it's fair to let her have Austin."
"Should we talk to them?"
Bingo nodded. "Yeah, let's call a family meeting."
The girls went downstairs and found their parents. Chilli was wiping down the windows while Bandit was emptying the vacuum canister into the trash.
"Mum, dad, we want to call a family meeting." Bingo began.
"A family meeting?" Bandit asked. "Girls, if one of you fluffied you know how we handle it…"
"No! Not for that!" Bingo declared, shaking her head.
"About Austin." Bluey clarified.
"About Austin?" Chilli asked.
"Yes." Bingo said.
"Girls… I don't know if that's a good idea." Bandit warned.
"It's important, we promise." Bluey said.
"Okay." Chilli agreed, looking anxiously at her husband.
"Good. Meet us in the dining room."
Five minutes later they were all gathered in the dining room. Bandit was sipping some water as he tried to cool down from the vacuuming he'd been doing.
"Thank you for agreeing to meet with us. Bingo and I had a conversation earlier we think is very important." Bluey began. "Bingo, would you like to share our theory?"
Bingo nodded, clearing her throat. "Mum, dad, please don't be sad. We think that Austin is actually our brother, not our cousin."
Chilli's eyes bulged out of her head and Bandit nearly choked on his water.
"We think that dad is Austin's dad. How else could he look so much like him?" Bluey added.
"We think there was a mistake before he was born and he ended up with Aunt Brandy instead of with mum." Bingo noted.
"Girls… I…" Bandit's mind reeled as he attempted to figure out where to begin.
"But don't worry, we promise we'll still love him and we won't tell Aunt Brandy, she's a good mum and she really wanted a baby." Bingo added.
"But you need to do your part mister!" Bluey pointed at her father. "Mum wants a baby and you need to help… somehow. I'm still not sure how exactly that works. But whatever a franger is stops babies, so get rid of them!"
Bandit and Chilli were both mortified. Bandit was beet red and Chilli felt like she was frozen, trying to think of what to say.
"I think our work here is done." Bluey said, turning to her sister.
"Agreed." Bingo nodded. The two slid their chairs from the table and returned to the upstairs living room, leaving their parents at the table.
Once the girls were out of earshot Bandit cleared his throat and turned to Chilli. "I guess they sort of figured it out."
"Should we tell them? All of it?" Chilli asked.
Bandit shook his head. "Not yet, wait a little longer. They still have their innocence; let's let them keep that for now." He looked down at his feet. "I guess our argument was louder than we thought if Bluey heard about the frangers…"
"I guess it was." Chilli sighed.
"I, I just don't know… we already have a great family." Bandit admitted. "And last time with Bingo, it wasn't easy…"
"I know it wasn't." Chilli replied, thinking back to looking in at her baby behind a wall of plexiglass with a tube in her nose making sure she kept breathing.
"Do you really want to go through that again?"
Chilli sighed, "No, not really. I'm not even sure if I could handle it at this point."
"I love you, and I love our family." Bandit said, holding Chilli's hands.
"I love you too." She sighed, "But I do want another. Our girls are perfect, but I do want a boy-and I know you do too." She paused, "You have to admit, Austin is pretty cute."
"Yeah, he is." Bandit smiled.
Chilli paused a moment, "Even if we did give it the old college try it wouldn't be guaranteed. Maybe we could try something else?"
"What?" Bandit asked.
"Maybe we could look to adopt?"
"Adopt?"
Bandit mulled over the thought in his mind. "Maybe…"
***MH***
Brandy returned at six, exhausted. "Thanks again for watching him today."
"It was no trouble at all; in fact it gave us a lot to think about." Bandit replied as he looked at Chilli.
"Well, in any case, I owe you one. Whenever you two need a date night let me know and I'll watch the girls." She waved to Chilli, who glanced up from her laptop and waved back.
After Brandy left Bandit returned to the sofa, the girls watching Cat Squad on TV as he sat beside her. On screen was a webpage for the Australian Foster Care System…
***Author's Note***
Hello everyone! Hope you enjoyed this! If you did, please feel free to review (I'd love if this story got a little bit of love, but I will keep writing either way). Well, it looks like Bandit and Chilli have some thinking to do, and the girls have half-figured out the truth. If you liked this I'm also writing two other pieces at the moment, Society and a collab with Kodiwolf321 Project New Era, feel free to check them out. Thanks again for reading!