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 Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2017 4:02 pm
"Uh. Maybe," Toby said. He hadn't been aware that Lori was nerding out over anything, considering that the baby had a shapeshifting father who was already on file. "He might just be stuck doing paperwork. I'm taking a break from that now myself."
He took Maia's hand and started off into the building, leading her to the nursery where the baby had been taken. The crib was not simply barred on the sides, but had been supplemented with a strong, clear plastic barrier lest the child shift into something that could fit through the small gaps between the bars.
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Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2017 5:13 pm
Paperwork made sense. She hasn't asked him. "I hope it's not too awful," she said. Poor Lori. Poor Toby. He always looked so run down after so much homework.
A baby? Maia's eyes widened. "Oh," she said, and smiled. A beautiful baby. "He's your emergency?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2017 6:02 pm
"Eh," Toby said noncommittally with a shrug. Everyone hated the paperwork, but it was worth the job. It was just an unfortunate side-effect of saving lives and all of the other good they did. Entities or not, they were an official organization.
"He was," he said when they had arrived at the baby's cribside. "Believe it or not, this little guy popped out a snake. His parents gave him up right then and there. The dad is a shifter in our system and apparently he never told the mother. He just hoped the kid would be human. We had to memory flash her, though. Pretty sad, but there's a lot of people looking to adopt an entity." He reached down and rubbed a soft baby cheek with the back of his finger.
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Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2017 6:09 pm
Oh! The poor thing. Maia reached down and let the baby take hold of her finger. "I can't imagine," she said. "He's beautiful." How could a mother give up her child like that? Had the terror been too much?
"That's horrible. Poor thing's had a rough start." She looked up at Toby. "I'm glad he'll have a good home soon."
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Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2017 7:10 pm
"Apparently he bit her, so he got a little bit of revenge," Toby said and smiled. Some day, they'd have a little one. A few years' wait was nothing in the span of eternity.
"He won't remember any of it when he grows up," he reassured her. Sometimes people's bodies remembered trauma from an early age, but the day of birth was just a bit too early for that. His body hadn't learned anything. "It should only take a week or so. Maybe a week and a half. Less, if the family's already got a setup for a baby."
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Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2017 7:17 pm
"She probably deserved it," Maia returned Toby's smile, then set her attention back on the baby. "He's really sweet."
Oh, good. No one needed to remember being unwanted."So he'll be here only a little while," she nodded. "It's really nice to meet you." She assumed the baby's human mother hadn't offered a name.
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Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2017 7:24 pm
"He's healthy, and more bread loaf than screaming monster. Both good things," Toby said with a little laugh. At this age they were either sleeping or crying. Sometimes they were also pooping. That was about it. Maia seemed to be ready to go then, though, so he wrapped an arm around her.
"As long as we're getting our work done, they don't mind visitors. Early socialization can be a good thing, and the nurses can only be here so much." He might come back to hold the baby a while. They had a week to get to know him before they never saw him again, and he became a file on the computer like all of the other cases. Toby hadn't picked up a child without a family in years. It was a terrible situation, but you always felt a special bond.
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Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 9:44 am
Breadloaf? Maia smiled at the term. "He's darling," she said. She'd have to come during breaks; maybe one of the nurses would show her how to hold a baby? She didn't want to hurt him.
"Have you eaten?" She asked. She studied Toby for a long moment. "C'mon. There's cookies in the breakroom."
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Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 10:14 am
"I'm not technically on break," Toby admitted. "Give me half an hour and I can meet you for cookies, how's that? Or if you're not on break I can take some to you."
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Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 10:24 am
Oh, so he'd just escaped the misery that was paperwork. "Alright," she agreed, and kissed his cheek. "I'll see you in a half hour."
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Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 10:45 am
Toby hadn't really intended to go spend time with the baby on break, but once cookies were had there was still a fair amount of time to kill. HQ offered good breaks beyond mealtimes if nothing else. Maia had seemed to want to see the child again, though, so off they went. When they arrived, a nurse was just finishing burping the baby. She smiled when they came in.
"Are you here for a visit?" she asked. She was less humanoid herself, blue-skinned with shimmering eyes. One of their residents, though she was able to paint up and go into town whenever she liked.
"Yup," Toby agreed. Soon the baby would be shipped out to his new home, and none of Toby's family would be necessary for the trip.
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Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 11:13 am
Maia smiled at the nurse, but failed to remember the girl's name. "We couldn't stay away," she admitted. So the baby had just been fed? He'd probably be falling asleep again soon, then.
"Can I hold him?" She asked. It'd be good practice! For when they got their own baby, maybe years from now. "Will you help me?" She asked, looking to Toby. He'd been quite the expert with Holly, after all.
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Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 12:24 pm
"Sure!" the nurse chimed. Toby meanwhile shrugged to Maia. The nurse had this, didn't she? The blue-skinned woman continued: "Just hold your arms like this." She exaggerated the bend of her elbows and the angle of her arms for Maia's benefit. "You just have to be careful to support his head. If he transforms, don't worry, just try to to not drop him. He doesn't do it often, though."
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Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 12:46 pm
Maia held her arms like the nurse demonstrated. "Alright," she said. She smiled at the nurse. "I've never seen a baby this young before," she admitted. Not up close, anyway. There were always young couples with children at the beach.
...oh, no, she didn't want to drop him! What if he transformed into something too small to hold?
But the baby yawned, and she smiled. "He's sleepy. I think we're safe."
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Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 12:51 pm
"Yeah," the nurse agreed, and she carefully moved her arms out and deposited the baby in Maia's arms, as she had done with dozens of babies dozens of times. People worried about the transfer until they realized that even the most delicate newborns were still pretty resilient. They'd just made the difficult trip into the world, after all!
Toby sidled up beside and behind Maia and smiled down at the infant while he rubbed his wife's lower back. Some day! For now, this little guy was pretty cute.
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