Rafe wanted to go out tonight, but I was exhausted so I told him to go without me. He didn’t seem overly enthused, but I swear, sometimes since this pregnancy started I feel like I could pass out at 6pm. Today is one of those days.
Since I can’t actually go to sleep at 6pm, I curl up on the couch and resume watching Smallville by myself. I feel vaguely guilty, so I text Carly to tell on myself and she starts watching with me so we can text about it.
We only make it through one episode, then the doorbell rings.
I sit up, alarmed. I don’t know if I’m allowed to answer the door, and Juanita is already off for the day. I walk into the foyer, holding my phone like a weapon. An ineffective weapon. If anyone on the other side of this door means me harm, I would do better to walk over and grab something out of Rafe’s weapons armoire.
Of course, if they meant me harm, they probably wouldn’t be ringing the doorbell. I open up my text messages to Rafe to ask him if I should answer the door, and see two texts from him I must have missed while I was texting Carly about Smallville.
Hey, Gio’s babysitter canceled on them, can you watch Skylar?
Told Gio and Lydia you could watch Skylar. Figured you’d appreciate the practice. ;) Hope you’re awake, they’re on their way.
Awesome.
Now that I know there’s nothing more lethal than Gio’s spawn on the other side of the door, I walk over and flip the locks one at a time, then ease it open.
A mountain of baby things greets me on the other side. Gio is hidden behind them somewhere, while Lydia is dressed up and lugging a baby carrier.
“You are a lifesaver,” she tells me, inviting herself right in. “You know, I wasn’t so sure about Rafe knocking you up at first, but I’m coming around to it. I swear, you cannot count on people these days. What did I say?” she asks, glancing back at Gio. “Didn’t I tell you she was going to leave us high and dry one of these days? That boyfriend of hers. Don’t even get me started.”
I don’t know which one of us she’s talking to, but I take a step back and look down at the sleeping baby sucking on the pacifier. A faint smile steals across my face. “Aw, she’s adorable.”
Distracted giving Gio directions, she tells him, “Take that to the living room and set it up for her. Where’s the bear? Did you bring in the lasagna?”
Sighing, Gio traipses past me muttering, “Yes, I brought all of it.”
I guess I’m glad Rafe isn’t here to see this. I’m not terrified of domesticity, and this scene right here would not make me eager to procreate with someone.
Lydia pats me on the arm as she follows after Gio. “I brought you some lasagna for dinner. Rafe said you didn’t feel like going out and I wanted to thank you. My mother’s recipe. Delicious.”
“Thank you, that was nice of you,” I tell her, following her back into the living room. Smallville is paused, Tom Welling gazing dreamily off at nothing. Gio glances at the screen, then looks at me and cocks a skeptical eyebrow.
“Not a Superman fan?” I ask.
“Do I look like I root for the good guys?” he asks.
“Ignore him,” Lydia tells me. “He’s grumpy.” Bending to put down the baby carrier, she says, “She should sleep for you a good hour or two, you won’t even have to do much. When she wakes up she’ll probably be hungry. I have two bottles in here. Make sure you warm them up, but not too warm. Test it on your wrist. It shouldn’t be chilly, but in the meantime, put it in the fridge. Diapers are in the bag along with two changes of clothing.” Reaching over to retrieve a teddy bear from Gio, she places it on the coffee table. “She doesn’t really play with this yet, but she likes to have it around so she can look at it. I packed her play mat. She likes to look up at the little mirror at herself if you hold it over her head. After she eats, burp her. I think that’s it. You know how babies work, I assume?”
I thought I did, but my head is spinning. It can’t be too hard to figure out, so I nod my head, since that seems to be the expected response.
“Good. We’re going to a movie, then dinner. If you need to reach us, here, let me give you my cell phone number.”
I hand over my phone and she taps the screen, then hands it back. “There you go. I hate to drop her and run, but the stupid fucking babysitter really set us back, now we’re running late. Enjoy the lasagna!”
I don’t even get to say goodbye, she’s already grabbing Gio’s arm and hauling him back into the foyer and out the front door.
Now that they’re gone as quickly as they came, I dig through the diaper bag to find the bottles Lydia mentioned so I can put them in the refrigerator. I hustle back, not wanting to leave the sleeping baby alone, and look around at everything else. Gio set up some kind of portable bassinet type thing. There’s a square, colorful mat spread out on the floor.
A tiny little sound grabs my attention and I turn around to see a pair of big blue eyes looking up at me.
“Uh oh, your mommy said you were going to sleep for a couple hours.”
She starts to wiggle around and her binky pops out of her mouth. Immediately, she starts to fuss. I crouch down in front of her seat, unsure whether or not I should take her out. Will she go back to sleep? I should probably hold her. If she does fall asleep, I can put her in the bassinet thing and she will probably be more comfortable than in the car seat anyway.
I pop her binky back in her mouth and peel back her blanket, unfastening her harness and reaching under her tiny arms to pick her up. “Well, hello, cutie. My name is Laurel, and apparently I’m going to be babysitting you tonight. How does that sound?”
She lets out a string of noises that sound vaguely like a complaint.