Short Stories (80s Version)

Baby Fever (Stewart Copeland)

A quiet night in was the perfect chance to avoid Friday night crowds from restaurants and other places all over town. Not to mention paparazzi flashing their camera lights and peppering me with uncomfortable questions that I don't want to answer. Being a celebrity's wife is not the easiest job.

I seldom go out unless it's for an event, a tour or a date night. I've been a hermit since I married my husband because I barely have privacy. Fans knock on our door for autographs and pictures and it annoys me all the time. Why does he have to be famous?

We recently came home from joining The Police for their huge Synchronicity tour. My husband is the drummer of the group and is taking a hiatus with his bandmates to focus on other projects and to ease ongoing tension. They've fought verbally and physically for the last year that almost damaged their success. It threatened my marriage, but I didn't want to leave my husband. On the bright side, I can spend more time with him now that he will be home.

My sister, Annie, entered my house as if she was panicking. I immediately reacted in belief that something was actually wrong.

"We have reservations at 7:00, but our nanny cancelled. Can you keep an eye on the baby?" She requested.

"Of course." I replied as she handed me her daughter.

"I owe you one." She thanked me before leaving with her husband.

They said their goodbyes and blew kisses to the baby before the door gently shut.

"It's just you and me, kiddo." I said to my niece, Missy.

She was a sweet 6-month-old with wispy brown hair and green eyes that she got from my sister. She was sweet until she started crying from my presence. I tried everything possible to soothe her by singing, making silly faces, everything. She wouldn't stop crying.

I seemed to be in luck when my husband came home.

"Thank God you're here. She won't stop crying." I sighed relievedly.

"Hey, what's going on?" He said to her as he gently grabbed her from me.

She immediately settled from being in his embrace.

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Babies just love me." He replied.

He handed her back to me.

"Hi." I beamed as I held her.

She started crying. I freaked out because I believed that I scared her. I gave her back to Stewart and she settled down.

"How is this possible?" I thought to myself.

She was due for her feeding when the clock struck 5:00. I held her in one arm and the bottle in my other hand before her crying screams pierced my ears. The bottle barely touched her lip and she still screamed out her lungs.

She still wouldn't budge whenever I tried to feed her.
Stewart picked her up and gave her the bottle to which she complied. He's already bragging that Missy likes him more. She's smiled and laughed at his silly faces.

"My niece doesn't like me." I said in disbelief.

"That's not true. She's probably cranky." He shrugged.

"You're already going to be the fun uncle that gives her candy and teaches her how to swear."

"I'm sure it's a phase."

"Maybe, maybe not."

He sat in his chair, deep in thought.

"I have an idea." He said.

He got out of the chair and took her to the studio. He gave her some drumsticks and she hit the snares without hesitation. She had the biggest grin on her face.

"See? Proof that you're the fun uncle." I added.

Missy hit the drums over and over until she threw the sticks to the floor. I picked them up and placed them on the table. She got on the floor and tried to crawl towards me. I gave her words of encouragement and she smiled. I guess it's safe to say that she likes me now.

I picked her up and took her back to the house. I put her in the swing so that I could finish folding laundry and we got to play once I was done. She was already getting sleepy, so I picked her up and grabbed a book to read. As the book was drawing to a close, my eyelids started to droop and I fell asleep. Missy was still, so it was likely she was asleep too. My sister's arrival woke me up as she quietly entered the room.

"She's been fed, I changed her, and we got to play." I said while stretching my arms.

"Thank you so much." Annie told me as she picked up her sleeping baby.

"If she hits random objects with sticks, it's Stewart's fault." I joked.

I also explained how she played his drums and it was going to be the cutest story to tell when she's older. I said my goodbyes to my sister and her family as they were leaving. I folded the blanket and fluffed the pillows before going to my room for the night.

"Thank you for all of your help today." I said to Stewart.

I fell more in love with him after seeing him with the baby. I dreamed to have children, but I don't know if I'm ready yet. I can't see myself having that kind of responsibility.

"I want a baby." I begged.

"How many should we have?" He asked.

He has more siblings than I do, so my perspective could differ from his. I also didn't expect him to respond because I believed that baby fever was only a temporary feeling.

"Three or four." I estimated.

"Three is a good number." He said.

"But I don't know if I want kids or not. It's your decision too."

"What matters is that we're ready. I know that you're unsure if you want to start a family, but we don't have to make a choice right away. We can wait until the timing is right. Okay?"

"Okay."