"Cyril?" Melissa said in mild surprise. She wondered if it would be rude to ask why he was here, since she had never expected Cyril to come see her.
"I...forgot my briefcase the last time I was here," Cyril said, lying through his teeth. "I figured...since I was here already...I might as well see how you were doing."
"I'm fine, thank you," Melissa said. "Just waiting for Ralph to pick me up. He's getting a ride from George, since we don't have our own car."
"Well...carpooling does save money," Cyril said awkwardly, "...and I guess it saves the environment too." He hadn't shared too many civil conversations with Melissa, apart from the time she helped rescue him from being pinned under the burning tree, and the time they had both worried about Bert and Cedric being missing. Cyril wasn't quite sure how to talk to Melissa. "Uh...how's the baby?"
Melissa sighed. "She has to stay here for a few more weeks...at the very least."
Now Melissa broke down crying, and Cyril felt that rare feeling of guilt, as he hadn't meant to upset her. He silently offered her a tissue, which she accepted.
"I never expected it to be like this," Melissa sobbed. "I always thought I'd have the baby normally, and we would go home together." Melissa lightly placed one paw on her stomach, which was still sore, and would have a scar. "Everything was going so well...I don't know what happened...I got sick, and I thought I was taking care of myself and the baby, but..."
Cyril spoke sternly.
"Melissa, listen to me: this is not your fault. There are some things you just can't control, no matter what you do...or how much money you have."
Melissa looked at Cyril curiously.
"And I know it's hard to see your baby looking small and helpless," Cyril went on, more gently, "and that's making you feel helpless, isn't it?"
"It is," Melissa admitted. "I don't even have any clothes that can fit her, because she's so small."
There was an uncomfortable silence, before Melissa dared to ask, "Cyril, was Cedric premature?"
Cyril sighed and made that nervous, invisible cigar gesture.
"Yes. He was about as far along as your little girl when he was born, and he was small, too, I bet he could have fit into a wallet." Cyril chuckled nervously, then looked solemn. "I wanted to stay with him when he was in that special nursery, but it wasn't allowed back then. Doctors and nurses only. Couldn't even bribe a nurse to get her to let me in. I'd have given my whole fortune to be with him."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Melissa was unsure of what else to say. She was glad that she could visit with Kit, and hold her, and take care of her. Melissa also noticed that Cyril did not mention Cedric's mother. Melissa guessed what had happened to her, but didn't want to ask about her outright. She sensed it was something Cyril didn't want to talk about.
Cyril shrugged.
"It's why I don't like hospitals. That and needles."
"Kit doesn't like needles, either," Melissa said, trying to smile. "Whenever a doctor or a nurse tries to give her one, she kicks at them."
Cyril laughed; he couldn't help it.
"Sounds like the kid's got spirit."
"She does," Melissa said. "I'm still worried about her future, if this is going to affect her health as she grows up."
"I worried the same thing about Cedric," Cyril said. "Any parent would be worried."
"But Cedric turned out just fine." Melissa started to feel more hopeful.
Not completely fine, Cyril thought to himself. His son's unfortunate beginning was a factor in why Cedric needed such thick glasses, as his eyes weren't quite developed enough. But in this case, Cyril had enough decency to not say this out loud and worry Melissa more.
"If you ever take my advice, Melissa, take it now: if you feel helpless, then do something that makes you feel less helpless. I couldn't be with Cedric, but I still got the nurse to play him a recording of my voice. That's how I started singing him his lullaby."
Melissa remembered that Cedric had once mentioned Cyril singing him a lullaby, back when Cedric was temporarily staying at the Raccoondominium after running away. She'd never expected Cyril to be the lullaby-singing type (and knowing Cyril, the lullaby would definitely be about money), but she thought it was sweet.
"That's good advice. Thanks, Cyril!"
"You're welcome," Cyril said, and he took Melissa's paw for just a moment.
Melissa really was smiling now.
"You didn't really forget your briefcase, did you? I bet if you had, you would have come back for it days ago."
Cyril hesitated before he finally confessed, "No, I didn't. I've said it before and I'll say it again: us parents need to stick together. But I'm sticking to that briefcase story if anyone sees me here. I still have a reputation to maintain."
"Of course," Melissa said wryly.
When Ralph arrived, he and Melissa visited Kit in the nursery. It was more than a visit: they were able to take care of Kit, first by giving her a bottle.
"I can do it, honey," Ralph offered.
"It's okay," Melissa assured him, holding Kit close. "I really want to feed her." Being able to feed Kit herself made Melissa feel less helpless.
To Ralph and Melissa's relief, Kit fed easily, and she guzzled down the bottle's contents. It heartened the anxious parents to see what an appetite Kit had.
"Good girl!" Melissa cooed. "You're going to be big and strong, so that we can take you home."
Kit had actually been weighed and measured before her bottle, and she was getting bigger.
Then they gave her a bath (just a sponge bath for now, as she was too small for a tub).
Kit started to cry as she was dried, which made Melissa's worries come back.
"Oh no! Did we do something wrong?"
"The doctor warned us that she would be sensitive to certain sensations," Ralph gently reminded Melissa. He carefully dabbed at Kit with the dry towel, and she calmed down. Melissa wasn't fully soothed.
Melissa still wished she had some clothes for Kit in the right size, but for now, swaddling was enough. Melissa was extra careful as she wrapped Kit, making her nice and cozy.
Ralph and Melissa both held Kit for a long time. It made them feel better to see that she was still quite alert, looking right at them as they talked to her.
"I think she knows we're her parents," Melissa said.
"Of course," Ralph said, stroking Kit's head.
Kit went, "Ah!" She was starting to get more vocal, another encouraging sign from how still and quiet she had been when she was born. Since the camera wasn't here today, Melissa simply took a picture of Kit with her mind. She took in every detail of her daughter's face.
"I think she has my nose," Ralph said, "but she has your eyes."
"Oh Ralph!" Melissa said affectionately.
"We love you, Kit," Melissa told the baby. "Everybody loves you. We hope you can come home with us, soon."
Eventually, with great reluctance, Melissa placed Kit back in the incubator. The only consolation Melissa had was that Kit was no longer hooked up to anything, and she still had the stuffed raccoon Bert gave her. Even so, a toy wasn't much of a substitute for parent-child contact.
"Goodbye, Kit," Melissa said with a sniffle.
"We'll come back to see you tomorrow, sweetie," Ralph told Kit, not bothering to hide his own tears. "We'll stay all day if we can." He wanted to be strong for Melissa and Kit, but found that he just couldn't.
Melissa rubbed Ralph's shoulder. She didn't want or need him to be strong. It meant so much that he was here with her.
Melissa didn't like the thought of going home to an empty crib, which Ralph and Bert had assembled together. She kept looking over her shoulder as she and Ralph left the nursery, until they were far enough away that they couldn't see Kit anymore.
"Do you still have that extra tape recorder?" Melissa asked. Ralph often took tape recorders with him when he reported on a story.
"Yes, I'm sure I do," Ralph replied, though he had to think about it for a moment, just to be sure. "Why?"
"I thought it would be nice if we could record our voices for Kit, so that she can still hear our voices even when we can't be with you."
Ralph kissed Melissa. "Good idea!"
"I can't take full credit for it," Melissa said. "Cy-I mean, someone else gave me that suggestion."
She would give no more details, to Ralph's confusion.
George drove Melissa and Ralph back to the Raccoondominium, where Bert waited for them. Bert was anxious to be helpful, so he made sure the house was nice and clean, and he had collected gifts from their friends, a lot of which was food. He managed to resist eating the peanut butter brownies from Schaeffer.
Ralph, Melissa, and George came inside, with George carrying a casserole dish. The casserole was one George had made himself; he was more than happy to share his cooking with his brother and sister-in-law in their time of need.
"I can carry that," Bert offered.
"It's okay, Bert," George said genially, "I've got it."
"Okay," Bert said, backing off.
Broo barked excitedly and ran towards Melissa. Bert quickly picked Broo up.
"Easy, little buddy! I know you're happy to see Melissa, but she probably doesn't wanna get jumped on in her condition."
Broo whined sadly, but he perked up when Melissa patted his head.
"I'm happy to see you too, Broo! And of course, you too, Bert!"
"I'm glad you're home!" Bert said. "Nobody appreciates my peanut butter recipes as much as you do! Does Kit like her toy?"
Bert realized this might be a silly question, as Kit was too young to play with a toy or even know what a toy was.
"It's still keeping her company," Melissa said. "I'm sure it'll become her favourite thing."
"Great! Cedric might come by in a few hours, if that's okay."
"Yeah, that's just fine," Melissa said, trying to stifle a yawn. She headed towards the stairs, which alarmed Ralph. He worried Melissa might hurt herself as she walked up the stairs.
This time, Melissa did accept Ralph's help, holding his arm as they went to their room.
"Oh, and your mom called, Melissa," Bert said. "She wanted to check how you and the baby are doing."
"Okay," Melissa said, now halfway up the stairs. "I'll call her back later; I feel really tired."
Ralph and Melissa arrived at their room, and Ralph tucked Melissa in.
"Get some rest. I'll check on you later."
Melissa gratefully kissed Ralph's nose, and he returned downstairs.
Melissa couldn't sleep, so she looked through her pregnancy album. The photos in the album went right up to the night before she had to go to the hospital. These were memories Melissa should have cherished, but it was hard for her, knowing that this album ought to have been longer.
Bert couldn't help but feel a little out-of-place again. He gave in to his temptation to have a peanut butter brownie, and tried not to eavesdrop on Ralph and George's conversation. It was nothing too personal: George merely asked Ralph if he could bring Nicole and the kids to visit soon, and Ralph agreed, if Melissa felt up to it.
Broo whined for a piece of brownie.
"No, no, Broo," Bert said. "You know these have chocolate in them, and that would be really bad for you. I don't want two of my friends to be sick."
Bert went through the cupboards for Broo's doggy treats. He was still a little unnerved by the conversation he'd had with Melissa's mom. Melissa's mom had met Bert as a kid, and seemed to remember him fondly, but at the same time, she'd also sounded surprised that he was still living with Ralph and Melissa. Melissa's mom also sounded surprised when she heard Broo barking. She'd remarked that puppies and babies don't always mix.
In the present, Bert tossed Broo a bone-shaped treat.
"Broo, do you think we've worn out our welcome?"
Obviously, Broo couldn't answer that question, as he was only capable of barking. Broo finished his treat and licked Bert, whether because of gratitude or because he wanted another treat.
Bert gave Broo another treat. At least he was sure that he made Broo happy.
A few hours later, Melissa sat up when she heard Ralph enter their room.
"Oh, honey, I'm sorry!" Ralph whispered. "I didn't mean to wake you!"
"I was awake anyway," Melissa said, motioning for Ralph to sit next to her on the bed. Ralph did, and he wrapped his arms around Melissa's shoulders.
"I'm so glad you're home, Melissa. I was scared that I would lose you...and the baby."
Melissa nuzzled Ralph, but the mention of the baby made her sad. "I wish we could have brought her home, too."
"We'll visit her every day," Ralph said. "Hopefully we can bring her home soon."
Melissa nodded. Everyone had been so kind, even Cyril, but nothing would completely make her feel better until her daughter was well.