Chapter Eight
How Did This Happen
Max tried to ignore the fact that her stomach had twisted into a knot as she walked away from the nursery not only still with Cale, but with a blanket, a change of clothes, a few diapers, baby powder, a bottle, a little tub of cheerios, a pacifier, a teddy bear and the same pop up toy she had seen Logan and Alec playing with two days ago when she'd gone out with Original Cindy. One of the other girls had packed for Cale as Gem changed Ronnie's diaper, she apparently was more than pleased to keep another child out of the room, which kinda sickened Max even though she understood, she'd have probably been that girl just a few years ago.
"Okay Cale" she said bouncing him on her hip as she walked to her quarters on the opposite side of the building, "Looks like it's just you and me for now." she looked down at him, wondering why he'd been so quiet through all of this and saw him studying her intently. It reminded her of Logan, how he used to watch her and would have to be snapped out of it. She sighed as she looked back up and continued her walk, still trying to ignore his scent.
-o-o-o-
Max spread out the tan comforter Original Cindy had brought from their place so Cale could roam without getting cold from the floor before she put him down. She placed the bear and plastic toy in front of him, but he just glanced at them before he looked back up at her.
"Okay kid, you're starting to get a little freaky with the staring. Want me to play with you?" she gave him a confused, non-enthusiastic smile and shrugged of her shoulders.
Apparently all that babbling he'd been doing for the past two days wasn't going to be happening tonight.
"Probably because I'm yet another new person" she on a sigh as she sat down cross-legged in front of him.
He crawled the two feet over to her and lifted himself into her lap as she had seen him do with Logan.
Max looked down at the chubby cheeks staring up at her, "Look kid, I'm really not good at this."
He curled into her.
Max groaned, "Okay so how about a story. I only really know one, so you're gonna have to bear with me; it's kinda a chick story, "Once upon a time, there was a young mermaid named Serinetta…"
-o-o-o-
"Hey little fella, watcha doin?" Josh said poking his head in the doorway.
Max looked up from pressing the buttons with Cale, watching the cow pop up and go 'moo.' "Hey, we're just playing."
"Max's playing with Cale?"
Max nodded
"Thought you didn't like him." he said honestly as only Joshua would.
Max frowned, "Why would you say that?"
"You're the only one that doesn't talk to him in the day."
"I'm busy that's all."
"Everyone else is busy too. Logan especially."
"Yea well I'm taking care of him now aren't I?" Max snapped and immediately felt horrible. "I'm sorry Big Fella."
"No problem, isn't he fun?" He asked walking over and squatting in front of the baby.
Max laughed, she didn't know if fun would have been the word she would have used an hour ago when she'd changed his diaper or twenty minutes ago when Cale decided he wanted to explore her room and picked up everything in sight, when he was almost crushed several times by falling objects or as he tried to eat her new lip gloss. "He certainly keeps my reflexes in shape."
She laughed again as she watched Joshua push one of the buttons and had a cat pop up and meow, he faked surprise to match the baby's own. "Hey you wanna stay with him for a few, I've gotta warm up his bottle."
"Sure thing Max." he said moving on to the next button.
-o-o-o-
Max sighed softly into the pillow so as to not wake the baby and wondered how this had happened.
Cale had fallen asleep with the bottle's nipple still in his mouth as she fed him on the floor. She'd figured she'd just wait long enough to make sure he really was asleep for the night before she took him downstairs so she wouldn't bother them. So placing Cale down on her pillow (another amenity brought by Original Cindy) she folded her comforter back into a bed and grabbed another blanket. Then she picked him up again and settled him in next to her body as she pulled the blanket up over them.
Here she was two hours later with Cale still in her room; she wondered if any of the girls would even still be awake in the nursery. The smart move would to be to just bring him down there. She couldn't bear the thought of possibly waking him when he looked so peaceful though.
Well, she thought to herself, it's not like I had anything better to do tonight. She closed her eyes and waited for sleep, reassured in a way she'd never expected by the strength of his tiny breaths.