Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Chimaera ❯ Chapter 100 ( Chapter 100 )

Please see previous chapters for notes, disclaimers etc.

 

"Chimaera"

 

October. 2003 ShenLong

 

 

Chapter 100

 

Unfortunately for Heero, Commander Une didn't have any cases off planet at the moment, nor did she have any on Earth that required travel so Heero was resigned to the 'baby training' he would have to endure at the mercy of the nurse. It was with some reluctance that he fronted up for their next 'lesson'.

 

True to her word, Nurse Brown brought home another doll for the pair to practice with. They both had another run through the diaper changing, Heero scoring two cries to Duo's one. The nurse insisted that they continue to practice each day until they could manage to change the doll without so much as a whimper...

 

Or any noise from the doll.

 

Duo found the doll to be a fascinating piece of ingenuity. Heero thought it was a pain in the ass. The doll had been designed originally as an education aid and hopeful deterrent for teenage pregnancies. The theory had been to create a doll that acted like a newborn; crying when it needed changing, burping or was hungry. It could also cry for simple attention, wanting to be cuddled or rocked. It had served its purpose well; most teenagers that had taken care of one in the past had either become celibate or responsible for the upsurge in birth control measures. The records also indicated that there was a slightly noticeable decline in the number of births for that generation and subsequent ones until the popularity of the doll as an educational tool had been replaced.

 

Mainly due to the populations moving out into colonies.

 

Over recent times though, the doll had made a bit of a comeback and the model that Nurse Brown had acquired for Heero and Duo to use had been modified somewhat.

 

Heero blamed Sally for that.

 

Duo thought it was more like Doctor G's handiwork. It wouldn't surprise him to see the old coot trying to get back at Duo after all the tricks the former pilot had played on him over the years.

 

It really didn't matter either way though as the nurse had brought home the doll and they were now stuck with it. She had also threatened them with decidedly unpleasant things if either one of them tried to tamper with the doll's workings.

 

It was with much trepidation therefore that Heero showed up with his husband for their lesson in bathing the baby.

 

Nurse Brown was waiting for them in the nursery surrounded by all sorts of baby bathing items. "Right," she said when the pair of them presented themselves. "First thing to do when bathing the baby is to get all the necessities assembled. Once the baby is in the water you cannot leave it for a second so it is vitally important to have everything you will need close at hand. You won't need to bath the baby every day to start with, as long as you make sure that baby's bottom is thoroughly clean after each diaper change. You can get away with 'topping and tailing' for a couple of days before needing to bath the baby completely."

 

"Topping and tailing?" echoed Heero.

 

"Yes. All that means is you clean the baby's face, hands and bottom. It's really quite simple." Nurse Brown proceeded to show the pair how to carefully wipe over the doll's face with cotton wool dipped in warm water and then the rest of the baby. "You must be vigilant with the water temperature, be careful not to have it too hot or too cold."

 

"How do you know what's too hot or too cold?" asked Duo as he had a go at washing the baby's face.

 

"You fill up with cold water and then add the hot, test by using your elbow. If it feels too hot then it is. It should be a comfortable warmth when you dip your elbow in. I'll explain and show you better in a moment." The nurse turned her attention to Heero who was now having a go at washing the baby's face. "Not bad, Heero. Remember to cradle the head a little more securely."

 

Heero smirked. He could handle this bathing bit, no worries!

 

"Now for bathing the baby completely..."

 

Maybe he'd better retract that statement for the moment.

 

"Getting back to what I was saying before about assembling all the items you will need. The bath should be set on a stable support; a table is usually a good suggestion. The room temperature is important as well, you don't want the baby to catch cold so make sure that the room is warm. You will need the baby bath, towels, wash cloth, baby lotion, powder, clean diaper, clean clothes, for the baby not you, although you may need a change of clothes once you're done, and it's better to use a liquid baby wash as opposed to soap."

 

Duo and Heero turned to look at each other and then to the nurse, clearly lost by all this.

 

"Let's start at the beginning, shall we?" The nurse fetched the baby bath and set it up on the table in the room. Next she fetched three towels and set them next to the bath. Baby lotion, liquid wash and powder followed. Once they were assembled the nurse fetched a diaper, singlet and jump suit.

 

Duo watched both the nurse and Heero as the items were being set up, he could see Heero's mind ticking over, cataloging all the items as if it were a mission. He couldn't help but grin as he thought about his husband tackling such a task as baby bathing along the lines of a mission; it actually made perfect sense.

 

"Now what?" asked Heero, once everything was lined up.

 

"Now we fill the bath with water," replied the nurse. "You don't need a lot of water, just a couple of inches or so will be enough..."

 

"No need for 'floaties', Heero," snickered Duo in reference to Heero's comments in the past of a baby needing a flotation device in the bath.

 

Heero scowled.

 

The nurse ignored the jibe and continued on. "Follow me, gentlemen." Nurse Brown picked up the plastic bath and went through to the bathroom where she set it down upon the cabinet that surrounded the sink. She picked up a large, plastic jug and filled it with cold water, adding it to the bath. "Always put in the cold water first then add the hot. This is a good rule to follow especially when the baby gets older. At toddler stage they are usually big enough to go into an adult bath. It's a safety precaution. Should a child accidentally fall into the water then they won't get scalded."

 

Duo nodded. "That makes sense," he said.

 

"Surely something like that shouldn't happen if a child is properly supervised," stated Heero.

 

"You have a point, Heero, but unfortunately accidents can still happen even with parents that supervise religiously. A toddler can be a slippery thing and it only takes a second for them to get into trouble. They have no sense of danger, only curiosity, and it can happen in the blink of an eye."

 

"Looks like we will have to take another good look at the safety of the house," said Duo.

 

Heero was wondering if it wouldn't be safer, not to mention cheaper, to simply put the child into a cage or restraints of sorts once it got to the mobility stage. Somehow though he thought his suggestion might offend the nurse so he kept his thoughts to himself.

 

"You will have to 'child proof' your home, no doubt about that, but not yet, not until the baby begins to get mobile. For the moment it's best to use plain common sense," replied the nurse. "Now, back to the bath. We add the hot water slowly, mixing it around with the cold and as it starts to warm up so we need to test it. The best way for that is to dip either your elbow or inner wrist into the water."

 

"Why not just stick your fingers or hand in?" asked Heero.

 

"The elbow and inner wrist are far more sensitive to heat than your fingers Heero. Your fingers will register heat but not as easily as your elbow or wrist will. If it's nice and warm to the wrist or elbow then it will be warm enough for the baby. Too cold, you add a little more hot water until you reach a desired temperature. Here, try it."

 

Both men tried testing the water temperature with their fingers first and then their wrists and elbows, clearly able to define the difference in heat with the three areas.

 

"I see what you mean," said Duo as he wiped his wrist and elbow.

 

Nurse Brown picked up the baby bath and carried it through to the nursery again, setting it upon the table. "Now that everything is ready you can get the baby." She proceeded to then show the men how to wrap the baby securely in a towel for washing its head and hair.

 

"Why can't you do all that when the thing is in the bath?" asked Heero. It made more sense to him that whilst the entire baby was in the water it would be easier to wash all of it.

 

At the use of the word 'thing', Nurse Brown scowled but declined to comment. "It's much safer, not to mention easier to wash the baby's face and hair this way. Once you have the baby in the bath you're going to need your hands to keep it upright and it's far more difficult to wash the face and hair. You will see exactly what I mean when you have a try yourself."

 

Heero still had his doubts but thought it best to wait and see. Meanwhile, Duo was having a go at bathing the doll's head and face. He found it relatively easy; he simply had to remind himself to keep his dry hand supporting the baby's head.

 

"That's good, Duo," said the nurse. "Your turn, Heero."

 

Taking the doll from Duo, Heero mimicked the hold that Duo had had the doll in and began to wash the head. It wasn't that hard.

 

"Excellent, both of you. Now, remember, it's vitally important that when you towel off the baby's head you do not rub, better to pat the hair dry. Babies have a very soft spot on the top of their heads called a fontanel; this is where the skull bones have yet to fuse together. You must be very careful and aware of this spot as the brain is only covered by the skin and membranes until the skull bones close up."

 

"Gotcha,” said Duo.

 

Heero nodded.

 

"Let's see how you go when bathing the baby completely in the water." Nurse Brown began to strip off the doll and then proceeded to show the pair how to hold the baby when placing it into the bath and the best way to support the child once it was in the water.

 

"Looks easy enough," commented Duo.

 

"There is one thing you need to be aware of though," said the nurse with a smile.

 

Both man looked at the nurse, noting the smile and shivering. She was about to tell them something and neither man thought they were going to like it.

 

"If the baby is a boy, when you lower him into the water have a wash cloth ready."

 

"Huh?"

 

"Nani?" Both men looked a little confused.

 

The nurse gave another grin. "Little baby boys have a tendency to pee when lowered into a bath. Unless you want an eyeful of urine I suggest you have a wash cloth ready to drop over his penis when you lower him into the water, that way you won't get wet by anything other than water."

 

"Aa." Heero turned to look at his husband. "Duo. I've just promoted you to Head Baby Bather."

 

"Eh?"

 

Heero gave a smirk. If he was going to be the Head Diaper Changer and have to suffer through dirty diapers then Duo could be Head Baby Bather and suffer through being peed on.

 

"Here, give it a try,” said the nurse and handed the doll to Duo.

 

Duo took the doll and held it the way the nurse had shown him. Carefully he lowered the doll into the bath and supported it there, making sure to keep the head well and truly above the water. He began to swish the water around with his right hand, his left one tucked securely under the doll's shoulders and supporting the head with his arm. With all the items needed sitting to the side it was quite easy to reach everything. Duo wondered why the nurse had suggested using the liquid baby soap in the water and not soap.

 

Seeing how the nurse was occupied for the moment explaining something to Heero, Duo reached for the small bar of baby soap and decided to try washing the doll with it. He picked it up and dropped it into the bath. Locating it again, He tried to grab it with his hand but it eluded him. A quick glance out the corner of his eye told him that the nurse was still occupied and had her back to him. He quickly fished around in the water again.

 

Then several things all happened at once.

 

Duo managed to locate the soap and grabbed at it but the small bar was very slippery. As his hand closed on the soap so he forgot about his other hand and arm which dipped low into the bath as he fought to gain control of the errant soap. The water splashed around the doll's face and set the sensors off causing the doll to cry out; loudly.

 

With the doll's cry so the nurse began to turn around, Heero's eyes widened as he observed his husband attempting to lift the doll back above the surface of the water and a missile shoot across the room, narrowly missing the nurse's head. Heero ducked out of reflex and went for his non existent gun thinking that they were under attack and determined to protect his husband, unborn child and the nurse.

 

"Duo! What's going on?" exclaimed the nurse, completely unaware that she had nearly copped a bar of soap to the back of the head.

 

Heero meanwhile had recovered enough and found the missile. He picked up the piece of soap and stared at it then looked at his husband with a raised eyebrow.

 

"Ummm..." Duo wasn't sure how to get out of this one. "Would you believe me if I said I was bathing the baby and I dropped something?"

 

The nurse frowned and Duo could tell she didn't buy it. "If you're bathing the baby you need to keep your full attention on the child at all times. A baby can drown in a teaspoon of water," she stated. "Try again and this time do not take your eyes or attention off the child."

 

Behind the nurse, Heero was doing his best not to choke on his laughter.

 

"Yes, ma'am," replied Duo and gave Heero his best glare.

 

Heero merely held up the bar of soap and grinned, popping it into his pocket before the nurse could figure out what was going on. Heero didn't think she would be amused to know she'd just survived possible decapitation by a bar of baby soap.

 

Duo returned to the task at hand, this time managing to complete the bathing sequence without further mishap. Then it was Heero's turn.

 

The water in the bath was replaced and Heero checked the temperature carefully. He deemed it warm enough and the nurse agreed. He added the liquid baby soap, giving the bottle a good squeeze, ensuring he had plenty in the water before setting the bottle down and preparing to hold the doll and lower it into the water. The nurse agreed with the way he was doing things, pleased that one of the men was beginning to understand.

 

With the doll now in the water, head clear and supported, Heero began to swish the water around and use the wash cloth on the doll's 'skin'. Unfortunately he'd added too much of the liquid soap and the water began to bubble. It also made the doll very slippery. "Oh fuck," he whispered as with each dip and wash of the cloth he created more bubbles. He released the cloth and tried to get rid of some of the bubbles as they were rising dangerously close to the doll's face. /Shit, shit, shit!/ he thought as his efforts only resulted in more bubbles.

 

Hearing the mutterings of unrest, the nurse turned back to Heero and gasped.

 

The gasp made Heero panic a bit and he tried desperately to remove the bubbles. Unfortunately the doll began to slip in his grasp. He dropped the wash cloth and went to grab the doll but the slipperiness of the soap on the doll's skin caused it to slide completely from his hands and arms and disappear under the water. Needless to say the cry it emitted was extremely loud; and slightly gurgled

 

"Heero!" The nurse cried out and shot across to try and retrieve the doll.

 

Heero also had another go, diving both hands into the water, grabbing the doll and lifting it up only to have it shoot out from his grasp towards Duo who caught it expertly.

 

"There, there," said Duo as he patted the doll and soothed the cries. His eyes danced with mirth as he choked back his laughter.

 

"How many times do I have to tell you to watch your strength!?" exclaimed the nurse almost purple in the face. "If this baby survives the first week with you two, it will be a miracle in itself!"

 

The dog who had come into the nursery and was curled up on the rug by the door gave a woof as she heard her name and raised her head looking to see who had called her.

 

"Sorry,” said Heero and hung his head.

 

"You don't need to use that much liquid soap, a tiny bit is enough," continued the nurse who was in full rant mode by now. "And I don't know why you're laughing, Duo. You're no better..."

 

The nurse continued to berate the pair for a further five minutes before running out of steam. Taking a deep breath she calmed herself, smoothed out her uniform and prepared to try again. "I think you had both give this another shot and this time..." she glared at the pair, "No overdoing the soap, no attention wandering and for heavens sake, be gentle!"

 

Sheepishly the pair set about bathing the doll all over again.

 

The next round was more of a success with the doll staying above the water all the time and both men managing to wash it to the nurse's satisfaction. With her eagle eye not leaving either one of them for a minute they made certain to get it right.

 

"Good. I was beginning to think for a moment there that we would need some sort of flotation device for this child to survive bath time after all," Nurse Brown said sarcastically.

 

Both men winced at the tone.

 

"Now we have the child clean we need to dry baby off and then redress it. Again, pat the skin dry, don't rub as baby's skin is very tender and you don't want to make it sore." Nurse Brown looked pointedly at Heero. "Gently," she stated. She had visions of Heero briskly rubbing the infant down and literally giving it friction burns.

 

The doll was duly dried off and both Heero and Duo felt smug as they hadn't caused so much as a whimper from the doll during the 'drying' phase.

 

"Good. Now I suggest you put a little powder if you wish on the baby, only on the upper part though, don't put any around the diaper area as it will cake and get into the creases causing chafing when the baby wets or dirties its diaper."

 

"What can we use on the diaper area?" asked Duo as he handed Heero the container of baby powder.

 

"There's a nice soothing baby lotion you can apply to the skin there. It protects and will help to ward off nappy rash," replied the nurse.

 

"How much powder... Oh fuck."

 

The three began to cough madly as they were all enveloped in a cloud of baby powder. Miracle scrambled to her feet and hastily left the room.

 

As Heero had gone to shake a little of the powder out onto the doll's 'skin' so the lid had dropped off and the entire contents fell out, coating the doll completely and sending up billowing clouds of talcum dust.

 

"I, cough, think that's, cough, cough, a little, cough, too much, cough, Heero," said Duo as he tried to get into clearer air.

 

"I think I, cough, can, cough, cough, see that, Duo."

 

"I need a, cough, cough, strong cup of, cough, tea and, cough, a valium," sighed the nurse.

 

* * *

 

Later that evening the pair were lying in bed together, Duo on his side with Heero spooned up behind him, hand resting gently on Sunshine as the baby moved restlessly inside Duo's abdomen.

 

"All things considered I don't think we did too bad," said Heero softly.

 

"Yeah. We had our moments but I don't think this baby business is all that hard," replied Duo sleepily.

 

They lay in silence for a moment, each contemplating the day's events.

 

"Heero?"

 

"Hai?"

 

"Do you think Nurse Brown was serious when she suggested that we hire a full time nanny to ensure the baby's survival?"

 

~ * ~

 

tbc......

 

Reference for the doll: http://www.the-tidings.com/2005/0128/baby.htm