“Here comes the airplane,” Christine sang, baby spoon in hand.
Stephen giggled and opened his mouth to accept the little scoop of oatmeal. He swallowed most of the food but a little bit came out on his lips when he tried to talk too soon.
“Oops! Take your time eating, sweetie. Mommy isn’t going anywhere,” Christine reassured while using his bib to wipe away the cereal remnants.
Stephen wiggled excitedly in his cozy nest of blankets. It was breakfast time, his favorite part of the day. Much to his delight, the halls outside his room were still relatively quiet. The daily rush hadn’t yet begun, and he had Mommy all to himself. They always started their day like this, laughing as the rising sun illuminated the room with a golden glow. The way the light transformed the dull hospital grey into something beautiful was truly magical.
“What a good boy you are, you ate all of the oatmeal!” Christine cheered. “Here, let’s wash it down with some juice.” She presented Stephen with a small box of apple juice and held it up for him to drink.
“More p’ease!” he said as soon as the container was empty.
“Thank you for using your manners, baby, but that’s a lot of juice for one little boy. Are you sure you’d like more?”
Granted, the servings were small for Stephen’s adult body, but all of that liquid had to go somewhere.
“Mmhmm! More!”
“How about water this time? You’ve already had several juices. Mommy just needs to fill your ba-ba, okay, sweetie? I’ll be right back.” Christine kissed the top of his head and walked to the sink.
Stephen’s wiggling quickly turned into uncomfortable squirming. There was pressure building somewhere near his tummy, but that wasn’t so easy to communicate while he was in baby headspace. He didn’t know how to tell Christine where the tension was coming from, but it didn’t change the fact that his body was telling him to get to the bathroom as soon as possible.
“Alright, here we go, one water for the little gentleman,” Christine teased and sat down with the fresh bottle.
“Mommy, owie!”
“What hurts, baby? You can tell me.”
Caring for little Stephen in the days following his surgery had shifted Christine’s maternal instincts into overdrive. There was now a tiny part of her that became disproportionately worried anytime her little boy showed even the slightest sign of discomfort. Her medical training easily overcame her emotions, but she couldn’t deny how much her unconventional entry into motherhood had changed her. Christine's natural inclination to nurture others was stronger than ever before, and now she regarded Stephen with loving concern.
“Are your hands acting up?”
Stephen immediately nodded no; for once the problem was not his hands. He looked down at his belly and whimpered.
“Does your tummy hurt, sweetie?”
Christine paid close attention to all of his body cues but could only decipher so much when he was in such a deep state of regression. When Stephen met her gaze, his eyes were already misty with tears. He had always been a highly sensitive little, and it didn’t take much to upset him. Since day one, he cried easily and needed constant comforting.
“Oh, I’m sorry, sweet boy,” Christine sympathized and gave him a gentle tummy rub.
She thought about all of the things he’d eaten, but none of them were out of the ordinary. It was impossible that any of the food had spoiled; she sampled everything before feeding it to her little one and would have known immediately if something was wrong.
“Would you still like your water? Maybe there’s just a great big burp down there that needs to come out.”
Stephen let out a little whine of discomfort but didn’t take his eyes off the bottle.
“Okay, sweetie, you just tell me when you’re done, alright?” Christine lifted the bottle to his lips. She had some reservations about giving him more fluids, but it was also possible that he just needed a few more sips and a good pat on the back.
Stephen squeaked nervously and gathered his blankets close with trembling hands.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to have any more wa-wa right now. We can try again when your tummy feels better,” Christine said and set the bottle down on the side table. “Poor baby,” she cooed and stood so he could lean his head against her chest.
Stephen sniffled miserably while Christine wracked her mind trying to figure out what was the matter. She was pulled from her thoughts when he started crying in earnest.
“Oh, Stephen … Oh no.”
There was a large wet spot that only kept expanding over Stephen’s lap and legs. Christine sighed and let him finish. They would have to wash all of the bedding anyway, so there wasn’t any use in rushing to stop the steady flow of urine. She knew the sudden commotion would only upset her little boy even more. Stephen’s face burned with embarrassment and he sobbed into the crisp folds of Christine’s freshly cleaned lab coat.
“Hey, Stephy baby, it’s okay. Shh,” she murmured soothingly and carded her hands through his hair. “It’s okay, it’s just a little tinkle, that’s all, it’s okay.”
“Messed up bek-fiss! ‘m bad, Mommy, ‘m bad!” he only cried harder.
“Shh, you didn’t mess up breakfast, sweetie, and you were very, very good for me. Hm, let’s see … You finished all of your yummy food, used your manners … Mommy is so proud of you for being a big boy!” She enthused, hoping to lighten the mood.
Stephen wrapped his arms around Christine’s body and held on as tightly as he could with his mangled hands. The intense pain that shot through his broken bones was almost unbearable, but he forced it down; the only thing he cared about was being close to Mommy. Christine’s heart clenched in her chest when she felt his shaky fingers repeatedly try and fail to clutch her scrub top. A few tears welled up in her eyes too, but she made herself blink them away.
“Mommy knows it wasn’t your fault, baby. You just had a little accident, and that’s okay. We’ll clean you up good as new, yeah?”
Despite her tenacious efforts, Stephen didn’t move a muscle.
“Sweetie, you have to let go of Mommy so she can fix this, okay?” She gingerly tried to untangle herself from his arms, but he only pressed himself impossibly closer.
“Christine? What’s wrong?” Nic burst through the door on high alert thinking there was a very real and very dire emergency to resolve.
“Stephen just had a little accident … Well, more like a big accident.”
Nic walked over to assess the damage and gave their little patient a gentle pat on the shoulder.
“Well, we can’t do anything until we get him out of bed.”
“I know, but he won’t budge!”
“Hey, what’s going on in he-?” Linda entered the room next.
Christine looked up at her friend and cringed. “Oh my god, Linda! I forgot he had an appointment this morning. I’m so sorry!”
“No worries! It happens to the best of us,” she shrugged casually, hoping to ease Christine’s worries. “More importantly, what has baby boy so upset?”
“He had an accident during breakfast,” Nic explained as he started taking some of the wet blankets off of the bed.
“Can I help with anything?” Linda asked.
“Well, we really need to move him so we can clean everything. If we could just get him to the couch over there, that would be great,” Christine gestured to the small living area of the extended stay room.
“Come here, sweet boy, it’s okay. Come to Mommy,” she encouraged while Nic moved Stephen’s feet and legs so that they hung over the side of the bed. “Mommy isn’t mad, and neither are Dr. Nic or Miss Linda. We just need you to get out of bed so we can put nice, fresh blankets on it.”
All three of the caregivers winced when Stephen’s wailing reached a shrill record high. Apparently, the new knowledge that everyone was there to witness his predicament made the whole situation infinitely more shameful.
“Shh, come sit with me on the couch for a bit, sweetie. Our friends just want to help. There's no need to be embarrassed,” Christine gently took hold of his underarms and tried to guide him into a standing position.
“Nuh-uh! No wan’!”
“You can do it, sweetie, and Mommy will help you every step of the way,” she reassured.
“Too li’ddol! Mommy do it, p’ease?” Stephen implored and looked up at her with big, sad doe eyes.
Christine carefully wiped the tears from his face but nodded sadly. “Oh, baby,” she sighed. “This is one thing Mommy can’t do for you. Can you be a big boy for Mommy and walk to the couch?”
“Buh-but why?” Stephen sniffled in response, unable to believe her words. Mommies were supposed to be able to do everything!
“I think I can carry him,” Nic offered. “At least to the couch - that isn’t very far.”
“You’ll throw your back out!” Christine insisted.
“He’s not going to move unless someone does it for him, and I really do think this will be less stressful than trying to wrestle him into a wheelchair. The least we can do is try, right?”
“Christine, why don’t you go sit on the couch and Nic will bring him over to you? We’ll tackle the bed situation,” Linda suggested.
Christine reluctantly nodded her agreement and took a few steps back. Nic knelt down in her place and lightly patted Stephen's knees. “Hi baby, it’s Dr. Nic. We’re gonna go for a little ride, okay?” By some miracle, he gathered the little boy in his arms and lifted him up off of the bed.
“Mommy!” Stephen cried, too regressed to understand what was happening. He only knew that his favorite, most important person had suddenly disappeared.
“It’s okay, we’re going to Mommy now,” Nic said with a strained voice.
Christine quickly moved to the living area and watched nervously. Part of her didn’t even want to look, but she couldn’t bear to take her eyes off of them either.
“You’re a big boy, aren’t you Stephen?” Nic tried to comfort as best he could. He was being very good-humored about the whole situation; carrying a fussy, squirmy little was no easy task! “Alright, here we are! Coming in for a landing,” he said as he lowered the precious cargo down onto the couch.
Once Stephen was resting snugly in Christine’s arms, Nic stood and contributed to the collective sigh of relief that could be heard throughout the room. The short trip had been much more physically demanding than he expected, but the tender scene of Mommy and baby settling down together made it all worthwhile.
“Thank you so much, Nic!” Christine said from her seated position. She used her left arm to support Stephen’s head and neck, aided by the couch arm. Her other hand was busy wiping his face and tucking away little bits of bedhead.
“Of course,” Nic smiled at her even though he was still catching his breath.
“I’ll help Nic change the sheets. You just focus on baby boy over there,” Linda called across the room with a confident smile.
Stephen’s sobbing soon turned into occasional hiccups, and he lovingly nuzzled into Christine’s embrace. He still needed to be cleaned and changed, but the most important thing was that he was safe with Mommy.
•••
“One fresh bed for one sweet little boy!” Linda waved to Christine and playfully presented the new bedding as if it were a work of art.
“Thank you!” Christine laughed and made a little gasp of excitement for Stephen. “Guess what, sweetie? Your bed is all clean thanks to our friends!”
Stephen gurgled blithely even though he didn’t understand the meaning of her words. He was more attuned to the sound of her voice than anything else, so it was her upbeat tone that told him something good was happening. He kept making little sounds of joy until he was interrupted by a big yawn.
“We’ll have naptime once you’re all cleaned up, okay, sweetie? Dr. Nic is here to bring you to bed.”
“All set?” Nic asked as he bent down to collect the baby.
“All set,” Christine confirmed with a warm smile. Her heart swelled with love as she watched them traverse the short distance across the room once again. She felt relieved knowing that her two closest friends were now Stephen-approved caregivers, and she was amazed by how much they had already helped her in just a few hours.
Stephen let out an adorable little squee as he was lifted up. His favorite person would always be Mommy, but the sensation of being held and carried was very soothing too. So far, Nic was the only one who could do that. Stephen looked up at the doctor innocently and was met with a kind smile. He was still a heavy weight to bear, but Nic could tell he was genuinely enjoying their little journey back to bed.
Once he'd been set down on top of the sheets, Stephen yawned and kicked his feet a bit before stilling again.
“Looks like we have a sleepy baby on our hands,” Linda mused and turned to Christine. “I found these while we were waiting for the fresh sheets to arrive. I thought you might like them.” She gave her friend a neatly folded stack of onesies, complete with snaps and overlap shoulders.
“Oh, wow, thank you, Linda. Gosh, these are soft!” Christine chuckled as she felt the material. “Hmm, which one to wear today …?”
“I personally like the moon and star print the best, but you’re the Mommy,” said Linda.
“Well, if you ask me, the nicest one is obviously the light blue with the sailboat on the front,” Nic added.
Christine laughed at the differences in opinion. “They’re all wonderful,” she said. “Why don’t we let the baby choose?” She held up all of the onesies so Stephen could pick his favorite. “Which one do you like best, sweetie?”
“Hm!” He reached out to touch the pastel pink onesie with white trim. “P’etty!”
“Oh, okay,” said Christine as she exchanged surprised glances with her friends. “Yes, that one is very pretty.”
“Mommy fave-rit color!”
All of the caregivers cooed in unison and then laughed quietly at their synchronous reactions. Christine felt her heart melt in her chest and smiled through joyful tears.
“Mommy sad?” Stephen looked up at her worriedly.
“No, sweetie, Mommy’s very, very happy. Thank you for thinking of me.” She kissed his forehead and wondered what she had done to deserve such a lovable little boy.
•••
Just as Christine and Linda finished giving the baby a sponge bath, Nic returned with an armful of more little supplies.
“I think these might be a good idea." He handed Christine a package of diapers and placed a small bin of other necessities on the bedside table.
“I think you might be right,” she raised her eyebrows in amusement and smiled. “Thank you!”
“Let’s check him over before you dress him,” Nic replied. “It’s likely that his urethra is still sensitive from being catheterized for the surgery.”
“Okay," she nodded and draped a blanket over Stephen's upper half so he wouldn't catch a chill. "If that’s the case, then I’m sure it’s painful when he tinkles, poor thing,” Christine frowned sympathetically and caressed Stephen's cheek with the back of her hand.
“That would also explain why he tries to hold it for as long as he can,” Linda added.
“Yep," Christine sighed. "Alright, let’s have a quick look and then we’ll take it from there,” she said while unfolding a new diaper. “Hi, baby, can you lift up your little bum for Mommy?”
Stephen hid behind his stuffed toy dog, Bats, and gave a timid squeak. He was still flustered by the accident, and currently it was easier for him to process the world by playing ostrich.
“Well, there’s only one thing to do with shy little boys like you, Stephen – tickle them!” Linda reached over and lightly ran her fingers over his tummy.
Stephen squealed and tried to get away, but Nic took the opportunity to lift him just enough to slide the diaper underneath.
“See, that wasn’t so bad, right Stephy baby?” Christine cooed and rubbed the tops of his thighs. “The diapy will help you stay dry when it’s time to go ni-night.”
Stephen’s cheeks turned pink as he petted Bats’ ears.
“Blushy little thing,” Christine teased affectionately. “Okay, let’s see what’s going on down here …”
She donned a pair of nitrile gloves before delicately lifting Stephen’s penis. Luckily, he simply continued mouthing Bats’ ears in blissful ignorance. As she and Nic predicted, the opening of the urethra was still red from the insertion and removal of the catheter. The sensitive skin at the tip was irritated as well. Now that she had observed his symptoms, Christine clearly understood why he threw such an intense fit about his accident.
“Oh, Stephen,” she sighed, partly to herself and partly to the room. She asked Linda to come closer with a subtle hand gesture before whispering, "Can you keep him entertained for a minute or two? He isn't going to like this next part of the exam. It'll be quick, but unfortunately not painless."
"No problem," Linda whispered back. "Just let me know when you're about to do it so I can be prepared with something distracting and fun."
"For sure," Christine replied at normal speaking volume. She looked up at Stephen, who was giggling at Linda while she introduced herself to Bats. "Hi, sweetie, you're being such a good boy for me! Mommy is super proud of you! We're almost done, but Mommy just needs to check one more thing. You're going to feel a little pinch, and then we're all done!" She understated with a cheerful voice.
"Hiii Mommy!" Stephen waved at her playfully.
"Hi baby," Christine smiled and blew him a kiss.
"Gottit!" He exclaimed as he made Bats fly through the air.
"Wow, good job, Stephen - and Bats!" Linda congratulated and gave Christine a thumbs up when Stephen wasn't looking.
Christine mouthed a very deliberate 'thank you' and beckoned to Nic so he could also observe their little patient. "Just a quick little pinch, okay sweetie?" She held Stephen's penis in her left hand and used the fingers of her right to carefully spread his urethral opening.
Linda had done a stellar job serving as the entertainment du jour, but nothing could take Stephen's attention away from the acute, burning pain between his legs. Suddenly, the room was filled with loud cries that reverberated off of every wall. In his agitation, Stephen forcefully pulled himself out of Christine's grip at an awkward angle, accidentally causing himself more pain.
"Stephen, baby, it's okay," Christine disposed of her gloves and moved to the head of the bed. She had only been able to examine him for a few seconds, but fortunately that was ample time to notice the internal irritation. "Shh, it's okay, you're all done!" She put on a happy face for him and dabbed his tears away with a tissue.
"Owie owie owie!" he sobbed and regarded her with a look of utter betrayal.
"I know it hurts, sweetie," Christine acknowledged sympathetically. "Mommy is so sorry she had to do that." She caressed his face tenderly.
Stephen leaned into her touch and wailed. He was still upset with her, but he wanted her comfort more than he wanted to show his displeasure.
"Shh, sweet boy. Mommy loves you sooo much," she soothed. "You were very, very brave today."
"Oww-ch!"
"I know, I know," she murmured quietly and kissed one of his fragile hands.
While Christine was busy settling the baby, Linda started unpacking the bin of supplies Nic had brought back. Nic himself took the opportunity to update Stephen's medical file and diligently added the morning's observations to his records.
“His symptoms should improve in a few days,” he told Christine. “In the meantime, we have to make sure he doesn't develop a UTI.”
"I'll try to get him to drink more water, too," she agreed. "He really needs to pee more often, so hopefully that will help. I don't blame him for holding it, but I think he's too little to understand why he shouldn't."
"I don't know about you guys, but I think we should also keep him in diapers for now - or as long as he's in baby headspace," Linda chimed in. "I know it's not the best environment for preventing infection, but he can't keep having accidents like this - not that we mind helping out, but it took all three of us most of the morning to get everything back in order."
Stephen sniffled in the background while the grown-ups were talking. He seemed to have forgiven Christine, but he whined audibly after a shiver passed through his body.
"Okay, baby, let's finish getting you dressed," Christine set his hand down gingerly and moved back to the end of the bed. "I agree with all of that," she said to her friends while readjusting Stephen's diaper. At the same time, she blindly reached for the supply bin. "Thanks for sharing your thoughts, guys!"
“Of course! Here,” said Linda as she passed the diaper cream across the bed.
“Oh, thanks! I knew I just saw it a minute ago,” Christine jokingly put her hand to her forehead in mock disappointment. Then, she glanced at Stephen and took a deep breath. "Mommy is just going to put some lotion on, okay sweetie? It won't hurt, I promise."
Stephen whimpered hesitantly while he watched her warm a dollop of cream in her hands. He returned her gaze unsurely, but still didn't protest.
“We use this so baby’s skin stays all soft and protected,” she explained patiently. “We don’t want baby to get a rash, do we?”
Stephen sank into a state of deep relaxation while she massaged the cream into his sensitive skin. His body didn't respond sexually while he was in baby headspace, so Christine's soothing motions only calmed him further. Even so, her caring for him like this was uniquely intimate in a way that sex could never be. He yawned, understandably tired after the upset of the morning.
“Okay sweetie, all done! You were so good for me,” she praised and kissed his tummy.
Stephen giggled and blew a sleepy raspberry back at her.
“Aaand last but not least,” Linda opened the pastel pink onesie and handed it to Christine, who looked back at her gratefully.
“Okay sweetie, arms up for Mommy.” Christine easily slipped the soft fabric over Stephen’s arms and head, taking great care to avoid accidentally catching his hands. Dressing him this way was so much easier, and she was more than happy to trade his plain button-down pajamas for adorable onesies. Finally, she fastened the snaps and gave Stephen a little tummy rub.
“I think baby is ready for nap time,” said Nic as he gave Stephen his favorite pacifier.
“Me too,” Linda agreed and pulled the blankets up and over him.
“Me three!” Christine chuckled and kissed Stephen’s forehead. “Sweet dreams, sweetie. We love you so much.”
“Ni-ninth …” he lisped through his paci, already halfway into dreamland.
“Ni-night, Stephen,” the caregivers echoed with warm smiles.
They all tiptoed out of the room and shared a sigh of relief once the door was closed behind them.
“Thank you so much for your help, guys! I don’t think I could have done all of that without you two!” Christine gathered her friends together for a celebratory group hug.
“Well, you know what they say,” Linda started.
“It takes a village,” Nic finished with a chuckle. "I don't know about you two, but I could really go for Starbucks right now. Anyone care to join me?" he asked.
"Definitely!" the ladies agreed.
“Oh, wait - do you have the baby monitor, Christine?”
“Yep!” She confirmed and gestured to the small device clipped to one of her scrub pockets.
“Okay team, let’s go,” said Linda. “Onward and coffee-ward!”
The morning had presented them with quite a few challenges, but now all three caregivers laughed as they made their way down the hall.