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Chapter Twenty Five: Preparing for Baby Girl McBain Part Two
Cole walked into the apartment thinking about Langston which is something he found himself doing a lot lately. Shaking his head he put his backpack down in its usual spot by the door. Walking further into the livingroom he found his Mom and John sitting on the floor her baby magazines scattered all around them.
"Hey, guys. Looking for nursery stuff again?"
"Yeah." John says. "Hey Cole can I talk to you alone for a second?"
"Sure you can. I guess we can talk in the kitchen." Cole said confused.
"Listen. I know the last thing you want to do is go shopping for baby stuff with me and Marty but you're going to. It's something she wants us to do together you know like a family and stuff," John explained once they were alone. "I picked her up from her therapy session and she told me she didn't remember anything else. She spent two hours with that hypno quack and nothing. This is really important to your Mom all right?"
"She didn't remember anything at all?" Cole asked disappointed.
"No, she didn't."
Cole shook his head, "Hopefully decorating the nursery will cheer her up and if my being there helps then I'm in. You know I'll do anything for my Mom, John."
"Yeah, I know. I just wanted to give you a head's up that's all."
"Is everything all right?" Marty asked once John and Cole walked back into the livingroom.
"Everything's fine, Mom you don't have to worry. I'll come help you and John pick out nursery stuff. After all if you want my little sister's nursery to be cool, you're going to need me anyway."
"Ah yes my son the king of all things cool." Marty mused giggling.
"That's right and don't you two forget it."
"How could we?" John quipped rolling his eyes. "You remind us every chance you get."
Marty followed John and Cole out of the apartment and the familiar feeling of family washed over her as they set out to decorate the newest addition's nursery.
Walking into Llanview's Pottery Barn John was reminded of the domesticity Marty continuously displayed and felt a little less overwhelmed. He remembered feeling tremendously uncomfortable in places like this when he and Caitlin were planning their wedding and when he had come here with Natalie looking for a baby gift for Tommy and a wedding gift for Jessica and Antonio's wedding. With Marty and Cole around everything just seemed to fit better and he felt more comfortable as he looked around.
"See anything you like?" John asked walking behind Marty who looked like she was in heaven.
"Yes. This is it, John, this white heirloom crib is where are little girl will sleep. And you know what's really great about this crib? We won't have to invest in a toddler bed or a full size bed when she gets older. This crib which is called the Madeline crib by the way," Marty informs. "It comes with a crib conversion kit, which helps you turn the crib into a toddler bed and a head board we can attach for when she's a teenager. And since it's white it will go with any color she decides to paint her room."
"Is this thing even sturdy? What about the mattress? Does it squeak?" Before Marty could answer any of John's numerous questions, he flagged down a sales person.
"My girlfriend is really sold on this crib for our little girl," He says. "And I'll admit it's a nice crib, but I've got a couple of questions. Is this thing sturdy? Does the mattress squeak? Is it waterproof? Hell, does thing even meet the safety requirements for a crib?"
The sales rep smiled politely at John while shooting Marty a sympathetic smile and assured John. "Sir, your girlfriend picked out an excellent crib for your little girl. The Madeline crib is our top seller and meets all the safety requirements for both the U.S. and Canada."
She then went on to explain all of the features of the crib to John and Marty. "The crib has a solid platform to support the mattress. So you won't have to worry about squeaks waking up your little girl in the middle of the night. The mattress platform also adjusts to three heights 13," 18" and 23." The simple guard rail can be managed with one hand or just a nudge of the knee. Also the clear plastic teething guard is added for protection and preserves the wood's beauty." She explained, "The Lullaby mattress, which the Madeline crib comes with by the way offers comfort and durability it's available in standard and supreme styles. Its triple laminated nylon cover resists tears and is completely waterproof, it also has reinforced seams and meets all safety regulations for a mattress of this quality and for the crib as well."
John nodded as he ran his fingers up and down the sides and along the railings, shaking it also just in case. "Does the crib pass inspection?" Marty mused unable to hold back a smile. "Yeah, it does." He replied smiling at her.
Next they moved onto what kind of bedding they wanted for the crib. Looking around Marty decided she liked the Floral Maltese and Cherry Blossom bumper and coverlet in forest green rather than pink. They also bought the matching Cherry Blossom sheets and pillow cases that featured blossoms, garden scenes and blue birds. The motif was inspired by traditional tuille patterns and was simply and sophisticated. Proving already that this little girl was just like her mother.
Cole walked over to John and Marty as they were continuing to gather more things for the nursery and gave them his approval. Looking around he spotted a beautiful soft pink blanket. Walking back over to them with the blanket in hand he said, "Hey Mom, John what do you guys think of this blanket? It's really soft. Babies are supposed to like soft things right?"
Marty smiled at Cole as she reached out for the blanket. Finding it to be very soft she assured him, "Your little sister is going to love this. It's perfect Cole, thank you."
As the day went on the newest addition to the McBain/ Saybrooke family had everything she needed for a beautiful nursery. Now all that was left to do was set everything up and paint so it would be ready for her arrival.
For the first time since Marty's accident which was almost a month ago she, Cole and John finally felt like a family again. For the first time neither of the trio was concentrating on what Marty would remember and what she wouldn't. They were all enjoying a familiar feeling, a feeling they had all missed desperately. They were basking in the moments as they thought of how welcome their daughter and sister respectively would be in the coming months. For the first time in their three lives everything was going right.