This is for Day 6 of OQ Week: Teach Me. This story takes place as part of the What Would They Say universe. After her best friend Marian's death Regina teaches Robin how to soothe their son to sleep.
Robin paced back and forth as he bounced his four month old son in his arms. It had been like this for the past hour. Roland's cries filled the apartment and he had no way of stopping them. He looked at the clock with growing anxiety. It was 2am. He had to get up for work in six hours. He patted Roland on his back trying desperately to soothe him to sleep. It didn't appear to be helping. He didn't know what was wrong with him.
As Roland continued to scream over his shoulder Robin eyed his cell phone. It was so late he knew she'd probably be asleep right now. He shouldn't call her. He didn't want to need to. Roland was his responsibility. He should be able to lull him back to sleep on his own. But he'd been trying to do that for the past two hours and nothing had worked. If something was really wrong with Roland she would know. He had to call her. He sighed dejectedly as he picked up his phone and scrolled through the contacts.
Regina was fast asleep when she was awoken by the samba ringtone from her cell phone. She felt herself go still when she realized there was an arm around her waist but a smile grew on her lips when she realized it was just Henry. He'd sneaked onto the pullout couch with her again. Her three year old wasn't fond of sleeping alone just yet. Her cellphone continued to buzz on the coffee table and she reached out to grab it. She squinted as the bright light from the screen illuminated Robin's contact profile. Robin? She sat up as gently as she could for Henry's sake. There was only one reason he'd be calling her this late.
"Hello?" she whispered in a raspy voice.
She winced as she was greeted with screeches she could only assume came from Roland.
"Regina I'm sorry to call you so late but I can't get Roland to calm down and I'm worried," Robin said in a frantic voice.
"No it's fine," she said gently. And she meant it. She'd promised Robin that if he ever needed her he should call without hesitation. She owed that to him. She owed that to Marian. "What have you tried to get him to go to sleep?"
"I've tried everything!" said Robin desperately. "I've changed him. I've fed him. I've bounced him as best as I could but he's just keeps crying."
Robin sighed as Roland continued to cry over his shoulder. "I think- I think he knows that I'm not her. That I'm not as good as she was."
Regina felt a lump form in her throat as she thought of how good Marian was with Roland. Like all new mothers Marian struggled with learning how to take care of her new baby but she could always lull Roland to sleep. She would sing to him her favorite lullaby and he would just drift off. "Have you tried singing to him?"
"I did but he didn't respond to me like he did to her," Robin answered sadly. "I think… I think he misses her."
He's not alone in that, thought Regina. As she looked down at her sleeping son she thought back to when Henry was Roland's age. How he'd cry through all hours of the night. How it'd frustrate her that she could never help him… until her father told her how.
"Okay Robin listen carefully because I think I have something that might help but you need to do exactly as I say," she ordered gently.
"Alright," said softly. He would do anything if it meant that Roland would feel better.
"Go into the living room and sit on your couch. Make sure that you're comfortable."
Robin carried Roland into the living room and took a seat on his lumpy couch. He had to swipe some of the old takeout boxes off it but it wasn't difficult for him to get comfortable. "Okay."
"How are you holding him?" asked Regina.
"With his head over my shoulder like always," Robin replied.
Despite the fact that he couldn't see her Regina shook her head at him. "That won't work. You need to move him so that he's lying on your chest with his head right above your heart. That's really important."
He tried to adjust Roland accordingly but his son squirmed in his grasp. He started to cry even harder once Robin finally placed him on his chest. "He doesn't seem to like this."
"They never do at first," said Regina. "It's not a position he's used to but once things get started he'll calm down."
"Alright I trust you," said Robin nervously. "What's next?"
"What's next is you pick a memory. A happy memory, one that can always make you smile and you tell it to him," she instructed confidently.
"Are you serious?" asked Robin incredulously. "I've tried reading stories to him before and it never works."
"This is different," said Regina firmly. "This is just as much for him as it is for you. Now pick a memory and make it a good one. I promise I'll stay on the phone with you until you're done."
Robin rolled his eyes and groaned as he thought over his life. Happy memories weren't exactly coming easily to him right now. He thought of all his happy memories with Marian but they all seemed tainted due to the painful ones he'd just formed because of her. No memories with Marian weren't an option right now. Instead he thought of his father. Of all the good times they'd had together before he passed and suddenly he knew just what story to tell.
"Okay son, I'm going to tell you a story about your grandfather and the time he took me to see the World Cup at the Rose Bowl," he started with a fond smile. "It was our first year in America…"
Regina silently listened as Robin spoke to Roland about how out of place he'd felt when his family had moved to California from England. How lonely he'd felt to leave all his friends behind. The only thing that felt remotely like home was the old soccer ball he'd brought with him. Or football as he called it. His father noticed how much he'd perked up when he heard the World Cup finals would be taking place in their very state. His excitement hadn't been well hidden. He'd watched the matches religiously and spent days in his Team Brazil jersey. His mother could hardly get him to take it off for baths. He'd been so surprised when his father presented him with two tickets and told him that they'd be going to the final match together. He didn't sleep a wink the night before. The seats they had weren't impressive by any standards. To call them nosebleed seats would be generous but that hadn't bothered them. All that mattered was that they were there and they were together. He remembered jumping and screaming with every kick and pass that occurred. And the way his dad had made him promise not to tell his mother that he'd cursed at every penalty against Brazil. It was without a doubt the best memory of his childhood.
"When we went home that day my father and I reenacted every play of that game in the backyard until my mother forced me to bed," finished Robin with a smile. Reliving that memory made him feel like he hadn't felt in weeks. Like there was more than just pain to get past. It was old happiness but it was still more than he'd allowed himself to feel since he'd lost Marian. He looked down at to see Roland sleeping soundly against his chest.
"He's asleep," he whispered into his cellphone with a grin.
"Good," sighed Regina happily.
"How did you know that would work?" he asked curiously.
"My father," she said wistfully. "I used to have the same problems with Henry when he was younger. So my father told me to start telling him some of my favorite memories with his father. He used to say that sometime babies don't need us to fix things for them. Sometimes they just need us to hold them close and make them feel like everything is okay. And in order to do that you have to feel okay first."
"Sounds like a wise man," said Robin.
"He was," she whispered. "Not exactly a soccer fan though."
"The correct term is football," said Robin with a quiet laugh. He sighed before speaking in a serious tone. "Thank you picking up the phone."
"He's my godson," she said nonchalantly. "I'll always pick up."