Going Home

After the encounter with Tori's siblings, Vlad was a bit shaken from what he had heard and witnessed. He was pretty sure the color was drained from his face. He even forgot that he was holding Tori in his arms, and she was wiggling a bit in his arms. Only when he heard a little whimper did Vlad blink and face Ms. Yu, offering Tori his pointer finger. She grabbed onto it, her grip surprisingly strong for a baby her age. Vlad cleared his throat.

"Erm, sorry about that, Ms. Yu…" He apologized quickly. She waved her hand as if it was nothing.

"Don't worry. A lot of people do that when they learn of the separation of siblings. It can be pretty shocking. Now, we have to sign a few forms…" She shuffled a few papers on her desk, clutching a few in her hand. She hastily grabbed a pen from the little mug off of her desk and walked over to Vlad. She offered him a seat at the small table in her office, and he sat down, careful not to hurt Tori in the process by smashing one of her limbs into the edge of the table, or bumping her head. She still had a strong hold on his finger. Thankfully, he was right handed, so he grabbed the pen and signed the necessary papers. After what seemed like a thousand forms, they were finally done. Ms. Yu grabbed the papers and inserted them into a folder. Vlad looked down at Tori, noticing that she looked somewhat sleepy. Of course. Babies slept a lot during the day. And she was only three weeks old, after all. Ms. Yu looked over Vlad's shoulder when she went up to put the folders into a cabinet, and she smiled lightly.

"Looks like that little one's gonna drop off anytime. Now, if you'll follow me, I'll give you all of her baby things." Ms. Yu said, opening the office doors. Vlad carefully stood up, and followed her. He had to know what she meant by 'baby things'.

"What kind of things does she need?" He asked. Ms. Yu actually laughed at that. Not a mocking laugh, but a laugh of amusement.

"Why, diapers, formula, blankets, crib, clothes, and her carrier, of course! I'll help you load those things into your car if you like." She laughed. Vlad visibly winced at the word 'diapers'. He didn't even know how to change one, let alone not gag at the contents. Ms. Yu walked into a vacant office and came out with an infant carrier. She instructed Vlad how to put her inside and how to carry her in it. Tori whimpered when she left Vlad's warm, comforting arms. His heart seemed to break when she whimpered like that. While he carried Tori out to his car, Ms. Yu carried her things out. Vlad gave her a puzzled look when they got to the car.

"How am I going to drive and hold onto her at the same time, may I ask?" Vlad asked. Once again, Ms. Yu laughed.

"Here, let me show you how to turn a carrier into a carseat…" She laughed. They adjusted the carrier in the backseat to face the back of it, strapped the seatbelt to the carrier, and it was done, just like that. By this time, Tori was pretty much asleep. They then loaded the other things into the car, and Ms. Yu faced Vlad.

"Now, if you have any questions, call me, and I'll try to help out as best as I can. Do you think you'll be okay, Mr. Masters?" Ms. Yu asked. Vlad hesitated, then nodded his head.

"I'll be okay. But, how do I change a diaper?" Vlad asked. As if she predicted his question, she handed him a small book from her purse. The title read:

"The Do's and Don'ts of Parenting. What All Parents Must Know." Vlad raised an eyebrow.

"Quite an interesting title, I must say." Vlad said, throwing it into the front passenger seat.

"It'll help you quite a bit, Mr. Masters. Now, I wish you both a safe and wonderful life together! If you need help, just call me." Ms. Yu said, heading back towards the building. Vlad started up the car and backed out of the parking space. Just as he was driving away, Ms. Yu waved at him.

This was the start of a big journey for Vlad and Tori.