Page 36 of Brokered Betrayals
“No problem. You guys get rest when you can. Parenthood is a marathon, not a sprint.”
They exchanged goodbyes and disconnected. Royce returned the phone to the table, and they sat in stunned silence as they watched their baby girl sleep. Sawyer couldn’t resist pulling her closer and placing a gentle kiss against her knitted cap.
“Your daddies love you so much, Pumpkin,” he told her. “We will make this right.”
Royce smiled down at Darla, who dozed peacefully in his arms. It was time for her first feeding after the frenectomy, and she didn’t look remotely interested in doing anything but sleep. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option for her. They had quite an audience in the room to observe the feeding and give pointers if Darla still struggled to latch on. If she did well with her next few bottles, they’d discharge her to go home instead of spending another night at the hospital. Royce and Sawyer were eager to take their daughter home and settle into their new routine. But no pressure. They obviously wanted what was best for Darla more than their own comfort. “Dr. Edwards must’ve given you the good stuff, Lil Pumpkin?” Royce teased. “You’re zonked out.” Her little eyelashes fluttered, but she didn’t open her eyes.
Bailey, the lactation consultant, stood at his right shoulder, and Chelsea, the speech pathologist, stood to his left. They both laughed while Sawyer offered him an encouraging wink.
Royce brushed the bottle’s nipple across Darla’s bottom lip. “Come on, sweetheart. I know you’re sleepy, but you need to drink your formula so you can grow big and strong.”
Darla arched her back and stretched her arms. Royce brushed the nipple across her lips again, and this time, she turned her head to pursue it.
“That’s good,” Bailey said. “She’s reacting to the stimulus, and her feeding instincts are kicking in. Keep doing that.”
On the next swipe, Darla opened her mouth and latched on, tentatively at first, as if she remembered the discomfort from previous attempts.
“Attagirl,” Royce whispered. Darla opened her eyes and looked up at him. “There’s my hungry princess.” Her eyelids fluttered closed again, but she continued drinking her formula at an easy pace.
Bailey and Chelsea observed, offering tips and pointing out cues that indicated Darla might need a break. Royce stopped after an ounce to burp her, and then Sawyer took over the hot seat and continued her feeding. Bailey suggested they try out a different feeding position to see what felt most comfortable to him and to gauge Darla’s response. Sawyer had never looked more serene than at that moment, and Royce couldn’t resist snapping his hundredth picture of the day. He didn’t even care that fawning ladies surrounded his husband. When Darla opened her eyes and looked up at Sawyer, Royce repositioned himself to capture the image. Sawyer smiled down at the baby girl he’d longed for as she gazed up at him. Their eye contact lasted only a few seconds, but the memory would endure for a lifetime.
Sawyer snapped his gaze up to meet Royce’s. “I think she likes me.”
“She’s crazy about you.” As grateful as he was for their help, Royce wanted to shoo Bailey and Chelsea out of the room so they could share these intimate moments as a family of three.
Maybe Bailey picked up on his thoughts, because she looked over at Chelsea and said, “I think they’ve got this under control.” To Royce, she added, “When you’re done with the bottle, just set it aside so I can document her progress when I return. I’ll let you guys handle the next feeding on your own and will return for the one after that for my final assessment. Do you guys have questions for either of us?”
“I’m good,” Royce said. “How about you?”
“I don’t have questions right now,” Sawyer said. “If something occurs to me, I’ll write it down for when you come back later.”
“Sounds good,” Chelsea said. “You have our numbers, so please call if you need anything. We’re here to help.”
“And we appreciate you both,” Sawyer said.
Royce curled up on the edge of the sofa nearest the glider and watched Darla’s tiny mouth move as she took in her nourishment. “What a difference a day makes,” he said. “Yesterday, she didn’t want to take a bottle, and we feared we wouldn’t be able to take her home from the hospital. We’ve got a signed custody order, and our Lil Pumpkin is drinking like a pro.”
“I was thinking the same thing, but my time reference was even smaller,” Sawyer said. “Just a few hours ago, Kelsey had to sign the paperwork to authorize Darla’s procedure because the post-birth agreement hadn’t arrived in time. The precariousness of our situation really struck home then. I’m trying not to fixate on just how tenuous our rights are. What if…” Sawyer’s voice trailed off, and he shook his head. “Nope. I am not fixating onthat right now. The situation with our law firm is very stressful, but Ivy hasn’t led us astray. She told us the judge overseeing our adoption is fair and LGBTQ+ friendly.”
Darla had conked out again, and her tiny mouth had stopped moving. Sawyer eased the bottle free and set it on the table. He took the spit rag he’d slung over his shoulder and dabbed at the formula at the corners of her mouth. Then he arranged Darla against his chest and alternated between pats and rubs to burp her.
“We’re taking this sweet girl home with us, and we’ll complete the requirements to make her adoption official,” Sawyer said. “Those are the things we can control.” Darla let out a tiny burp, and Sawyer’s face lit up with absolute joy. “I got her to burp!”
“Nice job, Dad,” Royce said.
“Wasn’t that the cutest little sound you ever heard?” Darla scrunched up her body, and she grunted a little as air came out the other end. “And I got her to fart!”
Royce leaned back and laughed. “Those are going to get bigger and less cute, and so will her poopy diapers.”
“Doesn’t scare me,” Sawyer said as he joined Royce on the sofa. Darla made a little whiny sound, and Sawyer soothed her by rubbing gentle circles on her back. Father and daughter snuggled closer to him, with Sawyer resting his head against Royce’s shoulder. “I live with you, after all.”
The tone of their conversation went downhill fast, but it felt so good to talk about stupid, random things while snuggling their daughter instead of fretting about an uncertain future.
“Knock, knock,” Kelsey said from the open doorway. Andrew stood behind her wheelchair with two large bags slung over each shoulder. “Is it okay if I say goodbye before we head out?”
Royce looked up from feeding Darla. “Of course. Come in. How are you feeling?”
Kelsey held out her hand and rocked it from side to side. “Like I just squeezed a baby out of my cute vagina,” she replied as Andrew wheeled her into the room. “But mostly, I’m homesick and miss my Ella Bella Bean.” Kelsey looked around the room and noted Sawyer’s absence with a raised brow.