So this is a little something I came up with last minute (like literally an hour ago) after watching a video on Facebook. I hope you enjoy!

19-Comfort

Naru was at his wit's end this time. Mai had been gone less than an hour and Gene had been crying ever since he woke up from his nap (approximately five minutes after Mai shut the front door).

Naru had tried everything. He fed him. He changed him. He tried placing him in the rocker. Hell, he even tried dancing to some music with the child. Nothing worked!

He knew having a baby wasn't going to be easy. He knew it was going to be even harder without his wife there. The first month wasn't too bad, sure they were both sleep deprived, but at least there were no cases in dire need of both or even one of them. Lin, Monk, and Yasuhara had been great at taking over the business while Naru was able to stay close to home to keep Mai from the verge of a mental breakdown. Then his parents came for two weeks to help out along with celebrating Christmas. Their constant company may have annoyed them slightly, but if it meant they could sleep a little longer or take more naps, they were willing to put up with it.

But then when Martin and Luella went back home, Naru received a case that he could not pass over to the rest of his team. He unfortunately had to leave Mai home alone with Gene for a few days. Something that he was still feeling guilty over, even though it was only for four days. When he returned, he knew Mai needed a break.

He suggested she stay with Michiru or Keiko for a night, but she was too reluctant to leave Gene alone for so long. Even though he would be with Naru. So he decided that she should take the day off. Even went to the extent to call Michiru and Keiko to take his wife out for some relaxation.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Mai asked him worriedly as he was rushing her out the door.

"I'm the boy's father, of course we'll be okay," he chided as he opened the door and there was Michiru and Keiko ready to whisk his wife away for a day out. "If I have any issues, I'll call you immediately."

Mai's eyes had softened as she leaned on tiptoes to kiss the man on the cheek. "Thank you, Naru."

Now here he was, nearly an hour later, with a screaming baby and probably some neighbors about to call in noise complaints. And the worst part was that he was oh so tempted to call Mai back to calm the child down. That's who the babe wanted. That's who the man needed.

In spite of himself, Naru groaned when he heard his phone ring in his pocket, which seemed to only upset the infant further. He was in way over his head. "What is it Madoka?" Naru said in English as he rubbed his temples.

"I can tell that babysitting is going well," Madoka quipped and Naru wanted to wipe that smirk he knew she was wearing off her face. "Are you going to call in reinforcements?"

"It's not babysitting if it's my child," Naru answered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "He's a stubborn thing. He knows what he wants and I'm not it."

"Have you changed him?"

"Yes."

"Fed him?"

"Yes."

"Rocked him?"

"Yes."

"How about dancing?"

"Believe it or not, I tried."

"I would pay to see that!"

"Madoka…" Naru was getting fed up.

"He doesn't have a fever, does he?"

"No, I checked that, too. I'm at a loss here." Naru hated defeat, but not nearly as much as admitting it. But this time, Baby Gene:1 Oliver Davis:0. "I guess I have no choice but to call Mai home."

"Wait," Madoka said with a thoughtful noise. "He just wants her, right?"

"That's what I said." Naru rolled his eyes, a trait he picked up from his wife.

"Then give her Mai."

"That was my plan," Naru admitted, defeated. "I just need to hang up-"

"No! You dummy!" Madoka's screech was enough to force him to pull the phone from his ear. "He just needs to be comforted by her! He just needs to think she's there!"

"Get to the point, Madoka." Naru's patience was long gone by now.

"In Mai's laundry, is there a shirt that isn't too dirty? Something that doesn't have spitup on it?"

"Probably, in her drawer," Naru replied, standing up to head to the dresser. Gene was still in hysterics, kicking on the blanket on the floor of the master bedroom.

"Not gonna work, Dr. Davis!" Madoka mocked, causing the man to purse his lips. "You need something she wore recently. What about her nightshirt from last night? Maybe a scarf or something?"

Still confused, Naru walked over to the hamper and found the shirt Mai had worn to bed, which luckily didn't have any spitup on it. "I found one." He gave a side eye look to his phone.

"Now give Gene the shirt." Naru's side eye turned into a full-blown look of disbelief. "Just do it."

With a sigh, Naru placed the shirt on top of his son's torso. Almost immediately, the crying softened to a crank and finally to normal baby grunts from simply moving around. Naru's brow furrowed as he watched his child carefully. "How-"

"Her scent, Noll," Madoka said with a chuckle. "He went several days without you around and now suddenly his mother leaves too? He probably feels abandoned, but Mai's shirt smells like her and it gives him a sense of comfort. You should be good now until Mai gets home."

Shortly after, Naru and Madoka hung up. The former spent the rest of the day watching the spectacle in front of him. Now that Madoka had said it, it made sense. It was normal for Naru to leave, but not Mai. Even at only nine weeks old, Baby Gene understood that much.

From then on, Naru was able to feed, change, and even get Gene to nap without a hassle for the rest of the night. Before he knew it, Mai was walking into their room. "Well, you two see to be getting along," she commented, looking a bit more refreshed. "Why is he snuggling my shirt?"

"He missed you," Naru said, standing up to give her a kiss. "Feel better?"

Mai wrapped her arms around his torso and held him tight. "Keiko insisted on getting massages. I fell asleep less than five minutes into it." She felt his chest shake in his chuckle. "Let me guess, Gene wouldn't stop crying so you called Madoka."

"She called me," he admitted, it was Mai's turn to laugh. "What's so funny?"

"This is just how I got Gene to stop crying," she admitted, leaning back to look up at him. "I gave him one of your undershirts and he calmed down. Don't think he didn't miss you, too."

And suddenly, Naru understood why Madoka knew exactly when to call him. "She called you the first night of the case, didn't she?"

"Second, the first night wasn't so bad," Mai said, hugging her husband again. "I put the bed guard up and had him sleep on your side, after that though, it went down hill."

"I swear that woman's a mind reader."

"I told you so."

Hope you enjoyed! I have a little something planned for the next chapter, but I don't think it'll be up until Wednesday so stay tuned! Please review!