Title: New Father
Rating: T.
Warnings/Pairings: Douglas Rattmann as a single father, Spoilers for Portal/2
Summary: Douglas Rattmann was never cut out to be a parent, but he finds himself thrust into the role when a young girl is orphaned under his watch.
Author's Notes: The book series in question was what my grandfather read to me when I was that age – the series is colloquially called "The Adventure Series" by Enid Blyton. If you've never read them, I strongly urge you to go pick them up. My personal fave was the seventh book – "The Castle of Adventure" They're about as old as my father would be, so nearly 60!
Chapter 3
For Rattmann, the day plodded. He found himself ignoring the test chambers to seek out Wheatley and Chell. Once, he almost laughed upon the monitor's display of the impossibly tall man seated firmly in a plastic blue chair made for a toddler, his knees drawn all the way up to his chest with Chell serving him what appeared to be heavily sugared weak tea. He drank it with his pinky finger sticking out like a well-to-do lady, making Chell giggle silently.
"Well, I don't mind that you got me out of testing for the day, Chell." Wheatley said. His conversational skills were making up the entirety of their day and the man was delighted to have a willing audience. "I'm not very good at it."
Chell presented him with an arrowroot biscuit pinched from the day care by way of a response.
"You know," Wheatley interjected around a mouthful of cookie, "You should ask…well, not ask exactly, but you know what I mean – to get ol' Ratty…Doug, Doug! Your dad!" Chell had raised her fist against him. Those little punches hurt! "Anyway, he's something of an artist. Pretty good too."
Whether or not Chell took this information to heart, Wheatley couldn't tell, but when five o' clock rolled around, Doug appeared right on time. Probably the fastest he'd ever arrived anywhere in his life.
Upon seeing Doug's face, Chell dropped Wheatley's hand and raced towards him. She was scooped up immediately her arms flinging themselves around Rattman's neck in a vise grip.
"She was as good as gold." Wheatley caught up with the pair, ruffling Chell's hair gently. He held out a pile of books. "They're Pricilla's. She figured she might like to read them, but I think you ought to read them to her. You know, bedtime stories. This one's the first in the series. We got up to chapter four at lunch."
Doug glanced at Wheatley. He'd really never cared for the man but he suddenly found himself appreciating the other man's superior knowledge of child care. Perhaps he wasn't such a moron after all.
"Thanks." He mumbled, propping Chell onto his hip and scuttling off to collect his lunch, the books tucked tightly into the crook of his arm.
As it turned out, Chell liked Kansas. She made him sit in the car to listen to the last strains of Dust in the Wind before they were allowed to get out.
They ate their grilled cheese sandwiches and chicken soup in silence, Doug pleased by his growing successes in the kitchen. Chell returned to Doug's lap at the conclusion of the meal which he took as positive reinforcement.
He hoisted her up and padded into the sitting room, putting on the television for a little background noise. Chell disappeared, but it wasn't to go to the toilet like he expected as she returned a moment later with the book Wheatley had told him he'd started to read to her.
"Guess you had a good time with Mr. Wheatley after all." He picked up the book. "I need one hour, Chell. Just one. I have to work on some tests."
With Chell looking over his shoulder the test chamber designs went faster and, Rattmann thought, rather better than anything he might have come up with on his own.
Soon enough, the book was being insistently shoved at him again.
"Alright. So, Chapter Four was it?"
She nodded.
"Dinah and Jack…"
Chell shook her head violently and grabbed hold of Doug's arm.
"What's the matter?"
Chell pointed to his mouth.
"I'm reading the right chapter, Wheatley said you hadn't started four."
She shook her head, now obviously frustrated by her inability to speak and convey to him what she wanted.
"Louder?"
She tossed her head.
"Um…slower?"
She tossed her head again, pointing to his mouth incessantly.
"Oh! I get it!"
He pitched his voice high up. "You want me to do voices, is that it?"
She nodded and giggled at his bad approximation of an English accent and a girl at that. Now content, she snuggled into his side for the remainder of the story. Doug got through four chapters before she began to yawn.
"You know Chell, you're a smart girl." He knew it was pointless to try and put her to bed. She would inevitably sneak out and join him on the couch. His own bed was buried under a heap of laundry. He couldn't even remember the colour of the bedspread. One day she would need to sleep on her own, but when it was Chell, he didn't mind the company. "You should make a science project for the Bring Your Daughter To Work Day."
Predictably her eyes lit up at the notion of doing science like her…well, yes, he was her father now. He'd come to terms with that fact.
"Go brush your teeth and wash your face Chell."
She got up, but when Doug woke up, he couldn't remember falling asleep or when she'd gotten back, but she was tucked snugly beneath his arm.