Bonding with Baby
Carly was sleeping peacefully, so Jason went to the nursery to see Michael. "You're just in time to give him his bottle," Bobbie said with a smile.
Jason looked down at his son with happiness and pride. Michael was so tiny, but his color was good and he seemed to be thriving after his surgery. Jason knew it was just a matter of time before the infant was well and they could take him home.
Jason was seated in the rocking chair as Bobbie gently lifted the baby, avoiding all the tubes and wires that were connected to Michael's little body. She tenderly placed the newborn in his daddy's arms. "Snuggle him close against your chest," Bobbie instructed, handing Jason a bottle filled with formula. "We'll see how well he does with that bottle."
"He's starved," Jason observed as he watched Michael guzzling the bottle of formula.
"Ohhh yes, he's definitely got the sucking mechanism down. Sometimes babies that are born too soon struggle with feeding, but he's doing fabulous. It's amazing. He has such a strong will to survive."
"He's like his mother," Jason said, brushing his lips against Michael's baby-soft tuft of reddish hair.
"Is Carly feeling any better?" Bobbie asked with concern.
"She'll be fine. She just needs some rest. As soon as Michael's stronger, I know she'll want to hold him. Right now though, she's afraid - afraid she'll hurt him in some way. She's also insistent that she wants to go home."
"She'll be released soon, but it will be difficult, because the baby will have to stay here until he's fully recovered and he's reached a certain weight."
"If he keeps eating like this, he's going to gain a lot of weight," Jason chuckled.
The bottle was half empty, so Bobbie instructed Jason that he needed to burp his son. Jason carefully raised Michael to his shoulder and softly patted his tiny back. It took less than a minute before Michael burped. Thankfully, none of the formula came back up.
"Ready for the rest?" Jason said to Michael as he settled him back down in his arms. "You're a hungry little man, aren't you?"
Michael devoured the remainder of his bottle as Jason and Bobbie watched in awe. "You know, I am getting quite attached to this little guy. I know you want him home, but I am gonna miss him when he leaves the nursery."
Jason looked up at Bobbie, seeing the sincerity in her eyes. "Won't Michael need a baby nurse to come by and check on him after he goes home?" asked Jason. "If it's okay with Carly, I hope you'll stop by the penthouse in the evenings to make sure he's doing well."
"I'd love to do that, if it's alright with Carly," said Bobbie. She and Carly hadn't always been on the best of terms after what had happened with Tony, but lately, Bobbie's heart had softened toward Carly. Being there for Michael's birth and seeing Carly so vulnerable had awakened maternal feelings in Bobbie. She felt connected to Carly despite anything that had happened in the past. She couldn't put her feelings into words, but she saw a lot of herself in the young woman.
"I'll talk to her," said Jason as he gazed down at baby Michael. His heart felt full of happiness with his baby boy in his arms.
