As the sound of Emily crying filled his tiny house, Andy felt guilty when he noted his relief upon realising Ben was here to help him. His friendβs adoption of Jane and Michael was only a recent development, he knew that, but it still meant the other man was much more of a seasoned parent than he was. It wasnβt Benβs responsibility to sort out Andyβs problems though, but right now he was desperate for someone to tell him what to do.
Ben didnβt seem to even hesitate when he heard the sound, marching into Andyβs house and leaving the blonde man clinging onto Jane and reflecting on his first mistake; he shouldnβt wait when he heard Emily crying. Surely, he should be running towards her to make she was okay, right? Glancing over his shoulder at Benβs retreating figure, he heaved a sigh and turned his helpless look onto Jane.
βI suck at this parenting thing,β he told her, allowing her to scramble down his frame like a little monkey so she could drop to the floor and take his bigger hand in hers. Clutching onto her like she was the adult and he was the kid in want of a much-needed dose of comfort, he tugged her along as the two of them followed Ben to the room where Emily was screaming up a storm.
His baby sure had one hell of a lung capacity on her, practically bringing the roof down with her cries and he winced as he stepped into the room seeing as the noise only got even louder. He felt mildly embarrassed as he looked around the place, not having had a chance to decorate it yet and help it look a little more like a nursery; lightsabers were stacked against the wardrobe, various cosplay pictures of himself and Penny hung on the walls and the shelves around them were covered in towering piles of paper. His unfinished manuscripts of totally unoriginal comic books were high in number, and that wasnβt exactly something he was proud of. His fickle nature, meant he couldnβt finish anything β bar the thing that had like, brought Emily into the world.
βOh, watch your feet,β he told Jane whoβd nearly tripped over a Darth Vader action figure heβd left on the ground. He hauled Jane up from under her armpits and deposited her safely next to Ben who was standing by Emilyβs cot. Joining them, Andy stared down at his red-faced bawling baby as she wriggled her legs and sobbed.
βI just β I dunno whatβs wrong with her!β he said, raking a hand through his hair. βIβve fed her, Iβve burped her, Iβve changed her three times, but she still keeps crying. What am I doing wrong?β he asked Ben, staring with frantic eyes at his best friend in the hopes that heβd have all the answers.
Without a hint of hesitation, Benjamin lead the way to Emily's bedroom, striding onwards with Andy and Jane in tow. Carefully, he sidestepped action figures and x-wing pilot helmets that he was almost positive didn't belong in a baby's nursery β though, admittedly, he couldn't blame Andy, Emily having come as a total surprise to the other man, thus giving him no time to prepare and set up an entire room for her β and headed towards her crib. Staring up at him was a gorgeous baby girl, her little face twisted in anguish as she put her vocal chords to good use. Tears spilled down her face, her tiny body wriggling this way and that as she yearned for some form of comforts, and he glanced over his shoulder at her approaching father, grimacing at his words.
He thought back to when young Grace had been born. Jay had sworn black and blue he'd stay sober β if not for himself, and if not for April, but for their baby. Credit where it was due, he'd been dong well, but an addiction is a disease, and diseases didn't make exceptions for anyone. Ben had been with April when she'd gone into labour; he'd held her all the way to the hospital, let her squeeze his hand so tight he'd needed a medic to take a look at it once the night was out, and he'd let her scream and shout and swear and cry as she desperately wondered where Jefferson had gotten to. He'd wondered too, of course. It had broken Benji's heart the second Jay had shown up, covered in sweat, agitated and spaced out; he'd promised April he wouldn't let him into the room, and he never once broke her trust, no matter how much it pained him. Often, Jay told him that, in the time leading up to April's passing, Ben had been more of a parent to Grace than they ever had been, but he wouldn't hear it. He loved that little girl with all his heart; she was his family, just as Jay was, and just as April had been (and always would be). Jefferson Madigan was his best mate, and he counted himself lucky on the fact that now he had two. Because he had Andy now too, and while Benjamin Potter was no seasoned father, he understood the anguish and the frustrations that came with trying to soothe a crying baby, and he was determined to do whatever he could to help Andy out, just as he had helped April and Jefferson. He didn't give up on people easily, and he'd never leave a buddy behind.
Besides, the problem wasn't Andy β not by a long shot. Back when he'd been taking care of Grace, the whole entire concept had been foreign to him. He'd known the Banks family back then, of course, and he'd done his part in babysitting Jane β back before Michael had ever been born, and before their family had been torn apart β but he wasn't a parent. Some days, he still didn't think that he'd done a single thing to earn that title. Tiny Grace had cried and cried and cried until Benji had convinced himself she'd have no breath left inside of her β there were times when he'd had to scoop her up into his arms and carry her away from Jefferson and April's shabby apartment; often weekends where he'd insisted on her staying with him, positive it was the only way he could soothe the poor child. Jefferson and April had meant the world of good and loved their daughter with all that they had β but, unfortunately, what they had back then was, well... nothing. With Jane, she'd sobbed her little heart out, often still kicking and screaming when she didn't quite get her way β and Michael, he had the lung capacity of a blue whale (which, according to Queen of Science, Holly Lopez, happened to be the animal with the largest lungs).
All the same, no matter what you did, sometimes there was just no soothing them. You just tried your hardest and supported them, no matter their age. Sometimes, they cried because they'd made a mess in their nappies, and you had to endure a sorry sight and smell to get that gorgeous little smile back on their faces. Sometimes, in Jane's case, they pouted and frowned because they'd heard somebody saying that Dimitri had his eye on another girl β and that just won't do, will it? β and no amount of candy and cuddles could put that smile back on her face. Children, and adults too, were unpredictable. Andy was by no means a bad father, no matter what he told himself, and it pained Benji to see his friend looking so downtrodden.
βAlright, mate. Take your ease, yeah? You ain't doin' nuffin' wrong,β he reassured him, turning his attention back to Emily as he did.
Leaning down, he carefully placed his hands around her tiny form, gently lifting her from her crib and cradled her body against his chest. Rocking her back and forth, he slowly started to hum a gentle tune. It was a silly song, in all fairness β not the kind you'd usually catch a parent singing to their baby. In fact, he didn't know a whole lotta people over in the States who had even heard of Ronan Keating, but back when Jane had lost her parents, it had been next to impossible to get her to sleep. Her mother's favourite song, however, seemed to do the trick, and even now she often flung herself into Ben's arms and demanded that he sing it for her. So, he figured, there was no harm in trying, ay?
Besides, there was a little irony in singing the words 'you say it best, when you say nothing at all' to a screaming baby β he only hoped Andy wouldn't take offence.
βThat's it, Em. There ya go, sweetheart,β he breathed, softly rocking her in his arms. With a gentle smile, he turned his gaze to Andy as his little girl's cries died down. She was still a little unsettled, but her breathing had eased, and the sobs lessened with each passing moment. βSee, mate? Ain't nuffin' ya could'a known. S'all pure luck, bud. You're a ruddy brilliant dad, don't you go beatin' yourself up, yeah?β
As though to solidify his belief, he carefully held his arms out, offering Andy the opportunity to hold his little girl. The sooner that he held her in his arms, the better that Benji was sure he'd feel. Once he realised that it was nothing that he'd done, and that she wouldn't spontaneously explode the second he touched her, then the more relaxed he'd be.
βGo on. Take 'er, you'll see. She'll be right as rain an' delighted to be lookin' up at 'er gorgeous daddy's face, I'm positive.β
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