Switching the living room lights on, Ray surveyed the quiet apartment without a sound as Brett forcibly slid the weighty box underneath the curtained window. The chestnut-haired doctor immediately spotted two still figures lying horizontally on the couch. He keenly strode over to take a closer look at them.
The corners of his mouth curved upward slightly at the sight before him; here was Neela sleeping peacefully, one arm circled tightly around Bela's small frame and the other was holding a colorful children's book which dangled dangerously over the edge of the sofa. Ray shut the reading lamp off by the sofa arm, checked his watch, and found out his girlfriend only had an hour before her shift would start; so that meant he had no choice but to wake her up.
Taking one quick peek at Brett, who was concentrating with great effort on straightening the package up against the window, he leaned over the couch to brush his lips softly upon hers.
The unexpected pressure sensation made her resting eyes snap wide open.
"Ray?" Neela asked in a raspy voice and blinked repeatedly to adjust to the light.
"I'm home," Ray beamed widely at her.
"What time i---"
Half way through sitting up, she suddenly remembered that she had Bela sleeping in her arm. As she glanced down, she knew her realization came too late. Two dozing chocolate brown irises already looked up confusedly at her; they then darted unsurely to the side and saw another face gazing fondly back at her; recognition instantly glistened brightly in them.
"Dada!" Bela babbled delightedly and twisted awkwardly in her mother's arm to stretch her short arms out to her father.
"Hey Bebe," Ray placed a light kiss on her forehead once those chubby arms of hers went securely around his neck.
"Ahem," Brett cleared his throat loudly to remind them of his presence.
"Brett," Neela greeted casually as she lazily got up from the sofa.
Looking adoringly at Bela, Ray pointed at his friend who was waving childishly at her.
"Do you remember Uncle Brett?"
"Hi Bela." After she smiled shyly at him, Brett turned his attention back to the petite doctor.
"Hello Neela. Looking beautiful as usual."
She chuckled good naturedly, "Your timing with me still hasn't improved, has it?"
"Who knows, maybe it will someday," he winked playfully at her.
"I'm still here you know," Ray pretended to be annoyed.
"Is that the present?" Neela questioned curiously, noticing a huge size of package behind Brett.
"Yep, that's it," Ray grinned enthusiastically at his daughter again, "Do you wanna see what's inside that puppy paper?"
She nodded fiercely and he quickly asked Brett, "Would you do the honors?"
"Gladly!" He carefully torn the wrapper off and used his pocket Swiss knife to cut open the box. As soon as he stepped off to the side to allow them to have a better view of the present, Neela thought, 'Oh, I should've known!'
There it was, a complete five piece red metal, one and a half feet tall drum set. It had two power toms and a bass drum in the middle; a wood snare drum and hi-hat cymbals on the right; a floor tom and ride/crash cymbal on the left; and a pair of woodened sticks sitting perfectly on the black leathered drum throne.
Bela was staring strangely at the pieces of shining metal that went around the drums and stands; the two grownup males were smiling proudly to themselves while Neela had an unreadable expression on her face.
Seconds later, Neela turned to her boyfriend and demanded firmly,
"Ray, talk in the kitchen. Now."
"Sure," Ray hesitantly handed the baby to his blond buddy and went after her.
"Your daddy is in big trouble," Brett whispered in a sing-song voice to Bela's ear and brought her to the drum set to let her play with it.
When both of them were behind the kitchen counter, Neela opened her mouth before Ray had the chance.
"What is that?"
"It's a children's drum set," Ray retorted amusedly.
"Don't get smart with me. I know what that is. Why did you buy it though? She's not even one year-old!"
"Hey, no kids of mine will be music illiterate. Doesn't matter what age they are."
"And no kids of mine will grow up deaf!"
"Don't worry. The sound ain't gonna be that bad. I'll make sure of it," Neela raised an eyebrow at him doubtfully, "Ok, I'll tune it and you'll make sure it meets the 'Neela-Noise' standard. How's that sound?"
Neela threw a washcloth somewhat forcefully at him and sighed, "Fine. But when your daughter only has boys around sixteen years from now, don't come complaining it to me."
"Oh, I'm one step ahead of ya. If that does happen, I'll simply have them neutered before they can get within one mile of her. I'm a doctor and her gorgeous mother is great at slicing bodies open. That's two advantages I have over most people," Ray wiggled his left index and middle fingers at her smugly while using his right hand to toss the washcloth, that landed on his head, in the sink.
"Flattery will get you nowhere Barnett," she rolled her eyes.
"I'd say it gets me somewhere," he said in a seductive tone.
"I'm going to change for work," unimpressed, Neela ignored his last comment and walked past him, headed to the bedroom.
Finally caught up with her words, Ray decided right off the bat that this would be a perfect opportunity for them to have some alone time together before she had to go to the hospital. He then yelled to Neela's back, "Wait up!"
Seeing no signs of slowing down from her, Ray turned to Brett and said hurriedly, "Watch her for a moment, will ya?"
Without waiting for a reply, he ran rapidly towards the direction of bedroom.
"Hey don't do anything you guys don't want your kid to see. Or hear!" Brett shouted over the booming noise of Bela randomly hitting the drums but it was too late, he was met with a loud sound of slammed door.
