Forever In My LIFE (Book 4) 2nd Alternate

Part 30

After Marcus and Ray leave I have Prince get my coverup from my bag while I bring Ramiel to the changing table. As I'm unfastening his tiny diaper I ask Prince, "In your calls today, did you notify the diaper service that we will need our initial delivery?"

"I'll do that right now," he pulls my cell out of his pocket and calls All Things Diapers where we had pre-arranged our service. I wipe Ramiel down, sprinkle some powder, and fasten on a fresh diaper before picking him back up, taking him to the bed. I move my coverup within easy reach and ask Prince to close our door. He frowns but closes it, I hand him Ramiel and crawl onto the bed, pulling the sheet only up to my waist. When I remove my nightie and lay down, Prince realizes what I'm doing and lays Ramiel onto my bared skin, the baby makes happy noises once he's in contact with my warm flesh. I cover us with my cover up, and Prince crawls back into bed beside me.

It doesn't take long before Ramiel starts to seek a breast, I sit up and get him to feed for quite a while. When he slows, I break the latch and offer him the other breast, he latches only for a few sucks, he's done. As I bounce him I tell Prince, "Take off your shirt and lay down," he tilts his head, "Skin to skin time for daddy." He removes his shirt and lays down, I place our milk drunk baby onto his chest and Prince closes his eyes, folding his hands gently over him, his expression is pure bliss. I cover them with his baby blanket and put my nightie back on, followed by the cover up just in case we have more visitors.

"Oh, Sugar," he whispers after a minute, "This is everything," he leans in and smells Ramiel's hair before kissing the top of his head.

"I know," I smile down at them fighting back more tears. This baby has thoroughly broke my ability to control my emotions. I soon see I'm not the only one as I watch a tear slip from Prince's closed eyes.

I move to open the door now that I am decent, to find Kim standing hesitant outside the door. I hold my finger to my lips and motion her in, pointing toward the bed. Her hand covers her mouth as she sees Prince relaxing with Ramiel, tears well in her eyes, this baby seems to be a gift to all of us.

Kim flashes a playful scolding look at me, before she says softly, "You're supposed to be the one resting." I nod and wink.

Prince opens one eye when he hears Kim's voice, it recloses and he smiles. "Hey, Kim," he's not about to budge and disturb the baby.

Kim walks over to the bed and hovers close, "Look at all that hair!" she whispers excitedly, then lifts the blanket to get a better view of him. Prince's body stays still, but his face glows with pride as Kim checks Ramiel out.

"Do you want to hold him?" I ask, Prince's eyes shift towards me in disbelief.

"That's okay, I'll hold him another time," she bends down to look again, "He really is beautiful."

Now it's my turn to beam with pride, although I know whose genes are responsible for this child's beauty and they aren't mine. I prop myself up in the bed while Kim sits in the rocker and talks with us for hours. As I start to stifle yawns, and Ramiel starts to stir on Prince's chest, Kim prepares to leave. "You need to sleep, my dear," she replies when I ask her if she wants to hold before I feed him.

She's right, being awake between these last two feedings has me feeling like a zombie. As Kim leaves and the nurse stops in, I ask her if this excessive weariness is normal. "Oh, yes, eating and sleeping is all you two are supposed to do for a while." After the nurse leaves, Ramiel is fed and placed back into his bassinet, I am ready to crash, groggily I say to Prince, "I feel bad you being stuck here, watching me sleep. You know we're okay if you have to leave." I reach over and stroke his arm.

"I'm not going anywhere as long as you two are here," he kisses my head, "go to sleep, Sugar." I need no more encouragement, I let my eyes close and sleep claims me.

*******

I wake to overhear a hushed conversation, Tyka's back and she's rocking Ramiel in the rocker as Prince looks on. Tyka had just finished saying, "It's perfectly normal, don't make such a big deal out of it." She spots me as I wake, "Good afternoon, Mama," she smiles.

That's when Prince fills me in, "They're not releasing you two until noon tomorrow."

Tyka rolls her eyes, "Here we go again," then she baby talks to Ramiel who's watching her intently.

I make a disappointed face, "I don't want to stay another night, but if that's normal procedure..." I position the bed up to sitting.

"There's no reason to keep you. You're fine, the baby's fine, we should be able to go home," he's trying to stay calm, but as he talks I can tell he's getting more agitated. Ramiel is now watching Prince and his face reacts to his father's mood and he starts to fuss, Tyka shoots Prince a look.

He strides over to them and reaches for Ramiel, Tyka raises and set him gently in Prince's arms, they both calm. Prince cuddles Ramiel close, swaying and bouncing, "I just want my wife and baby home," he speaks softly as he looks at his son. Ramiel coos and his eyes stay fixated as Prince flashes a cheesy grin, our son blinks, then seems to mock the smile.

Tyka looks shocked, "He's much too young for that!"

"Too young for what?" Prince says as he opens his eyes big and flashes another grin at Ramiel, who again seems to mock his father.

"To smile back at you. Right now, everything should be reflex, not controlled," she frowns and walks up to Prince. Tyka surprises me by flashing an angry face at the baby, his face quivers and he looks like he's about to burst into tears. She waves her hand over her face and it changes into a happy smile, Ramiel makes a hiccuping sound and smiles, saliva bubbles form on his lips. "Wow," she says and returns to the rocker, "You guys are going to have your hands full with this one."

Prince looks smug, "That's my boy," he says beaming down at him.

I gauge Tyka's reaction as she sits in the chair, she's stupefied, so I mention, "Ramiel has been reacting to us since the first minute he was laid on my belly, isn't that normal?"

"Oh, yes, it's normal, but he shouldn't be seeing us so clearly and reacting to facial expressions just yet," Tyka muses.

"Maybe it's more a feeling thing, I pick up on people's emotions without trying," I suggest. Prince sits beside me and Ramiel gurgles happily when I stroke his face.

"Maybe," Tyka replies as she watches the three of us together, "You all do seem quite in-tune with each other."