the nurse.
“Most first time parents don’t,” the woman said with an indulgent smile. “They get help from family and friends with more experience, and they make mistakes, and life goes on.”
“I just don’t want to do anything that might hurt her,” Srikkanth explained. “My parents are in India, and I share a condo with two other bachelors. Two other gay bachelors. What do any of us know about kids?”
If the nurse was surprised by Srikkanth’s revelation, she hid it well, straightening the blanket around Sophie’s chest with careful hands. “Stay here with her today,” she suggested. “I’ll teach you what I can while I’m on shift. I get off at two, and we’ll finish going over things then, when I can give you my undivided attention.”
“Thank you,” he said, unable to put his gratitude more clearly into words. Falling back on his childhood training, he brought his hands together, palms flat against each other as much as he was able with Sophie in his arms, bowing his head formally.
“You’re welcome,” the nurse said, clearly touched by the gesture. “She ate about an hour ago. I’m going to let you tell me when you think she’s ready to eat again. She hasn’t been a fussy baby, but she starts to get fidgety when she’s hungry.”
“I’ll watch for it,” Srikkanth promised, looking down at her peaceful face. It ought to be easy, as still as she was, to figure out when she was hungry.
He watched the nurses as they bustled around the nursery, trying to separate what was routine for all babies—and therefore something he would need to know how to do—from what was only for the sicker babies—and therefore something he wouldn’t need to worry about. He watched them take temperatures and change diapers, test reflexes and feed bottles. When a sudden, foul smell emanated from the baby in his arms, he got his lesson in diapering.
The nurse laughed at the look of disgust on his face as he took off the dirty diaper and wiped Sophie clean. Srikkanth wanted to be disgruntled about the entire process, but it was hard when, redressed in a clean diaper, Sophie sighed in contentment and turned her head against his chest as if reassuring herself he was still there.
“You can say whatever you want,” the nurse said with a smile. “She’s your daughter now. I’ve been in this nursery for twenty years, and I can always tell when they figure out who their parents are.”
“Really?” Srikkanth asked, feeling ridiculous for needing the reassurance.
The nurse smiled and nodded. “It’s as clear as day to me,” she promised. “Give me another hour and I’ll go over everything with you so you can take her home.”
Srikkanth smiled down at Sophie. “Are you ready for that, betti ? Jaime and I set everything up for you last night. Your bed, your tub, your toys. All that’s missing is you.”
As predicted, about an hour after Srikkanth arrived, Sophie started squirming in his arms. “I think she’s hungry,” he called to the nurse.
“There’s a pre-mixed bottle in the cabinet beneath the sink,” she replied. “Open it and put it in the crock pot for about three minutes. That will warm it up for her. At home, you’ll want to use a bottle warmer so you don’t have to keep a crock pot hot all day.”
“We bought one yesterday, but I still don’t understand why I can’t just use the microwave,” Srikkanth said, placing Sophie carefully in her bed so he could prepare the bottle as directed.
“Don’t do that!” the nurse exclaimed. “For one thing, the water doesn’t always heat evenly and you could burn her mouth with it, but even more than that, the radiation can break down the proteins and keep her from getting all the nutrition she needs.”
Srikkanth made a mental note to thank Jaime for making him buy a bottle warmer as he waited impatiently for the crock pot to heat the milk. He also noticed the
“Most first time parents don’t,” the woman said with an indulgent smile. “They get help from family and friends with more experience, and they make mistakes, and life goes on.”
“I just don’t want to do anything that might hurt her,” Srikkanth explained. “My parents are in India, and I share a condo with two other bachelors. Two other gay bachelors. What do any of us know about kids?”
If the nurse was surprised by Srikkanth’s revelation, she hid it well, straightening the blanket around Sophie’s chest with careful hands. “Stay here with her today,” she suggested. “I’ll teach you what I can while I’m on shift. I get off at two, and we’ll finish going over things then, when I can give you my undivided attention.”
“Thank you,” he said, unable to put his gratitude more clearly into words. Falling back on his childhood training, he brought his hands together, palms flat against each other as much as he was able with Sophie in his arms, bowing his head formally.
“You’re welcome,” the nurse said, clearly touched by the gesture. “She ate about an hour ago. I’m going to let you tell me when you think she’s ready to eat again. She hasn’t been a fussy baby, but she starts to get fidgety when she’s hungry.”
“I’ll watch for it,” Srikkanth promised, looking down at her peaceful face. It ought to be easy, as still as she was, to figure out when she was hungry.
He watched the nurses as they bustled around the nursery, trying to separate what was routine for all babies—and therefore something he would need to know how to do—from what was only for the sicker babies—and therefore something he wouldn’t need to worry about. He watched them take temperatures and change diapers, test reflexes and feed bottles. When a sudden, foul smell emanated from the baby in his arms, he got his lesson in diapering.
The nurse laughed at the look of disgust on his face as he took off the dirty diaper and wiped Sophie clean. Srikkanth wanted to be disgruntled about the entire process, but it was hard when, redressed in a clean diaper, Sophie sighed in contentment and turned her head against his chest as if reassuring herself he was still there.
“You can say whatever you want,” the nurse said with a smile. “She’s your daughter now. I’ve been in this nursery for twenty years, and I can always tell when they figure out who their parents are.”
“Really?” Srikkanth asked, feeling ridiculous for needing the reassurance.
The nurse smiled and nodded. “It’s as clear as day to me,” she promised. “Give me another hour and I’ll go over everything with you so you can take her home.”
Srikkanth smiled down at Sophie. “Are you ready for that, betti ? Jaime and I set everything up for you last night. Your bed, your tub, your toys. All that’s missing is you.”
As predicted, about an hour after Srikkanth arrived, Sophie started squirming in his arms. “I think she’s hungry,” he called to the nurse.
“There’s a pre-mixed bottle in the cabinet beneath the sink,” she replied. “Open it and put it in the crock pot for about three minutes. That will warm it up for her. At home, you’ll want to use a bottle warmer so you don’t have to keep a crock pot hot all day.”
“We bought one yesterday, but I still don’t understand why I can’t just use the microwave,” Srikkanth said, placing Sophie carefully in her bed so he could prepare the bottle as directed.
“Don’t do that!” the nurse exclaimed. “For one thing, the water doesn’t always heat evenly and you could burn her mouth with it, but even more than that, the radiation can break down the proteins and keep her from getting all the nutrition she needs.”
Srikkanth made a mental note to thank Jaime for making him buy a bottle warmer as he waited impatiently for the crock pot to heat the milk. He also noticed the
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