Page 41 of Brokered Betrayals
“Evangeline bought it for her, and I put it on while you were sleeping this morning.”
“Cute.” Royce gave her one last kiss and set her on the sofa next to Bones. “Notice how neither of us is sleeping at the same time? I miss waking up next to you.”
Sawyer leaned over and kissed him, his mouth lingering against warm lips. “It’s only temporary.” Darla made one of her cute little noises, pulling their attention to her. “And she’s worth it.” Sawyer checked his watch. “Let’s load ’em up.”
Royce stood up and lifted the carrier. “I’ve got Darla. You get the diaper bag.” Sawyer reached for the large, dove-gray bag off the coffee table, but Royce stopped him. “That thing looks more like a mobile nursery. Surely, we don’t need half the stuff you packed in there.”
“You never know what’s going to happen when you’re out and about with a baby,” Sawyer replied. “You need to be prepared for anything.”
“Babe, we’re coming right back. We’re only going to be gone for ninety minutes, two hours tops.”
“And in that time, Darla could spit up her formula and blow out a diaper. I put extra clothes in there for her. Plenty of diapers and wipes, plus butt cream in case she gets a rash. I have her little premixed formula bottles and nipples in case the appointment runs into Darla’s next feeding time. Oh, and I put snacks in there in case our blood sugar gets low since we’re not eating on normal schedules.”
“I’m not even sure when I ate last,” Royce said.
“See.” Sawyer tapped his temples. “I’m prepared for anything.”
“Fine,” Royce said, “but be sure to use your knees when lifting that hefty bag. We should probably invest in those weightlifting belts to stabilize our cores and support our spines.”
A door on the far side of the waiting room opened, and a nurse dressed in Scooby-Doo scrubs stepped through it. She looked down at the tablet in her hand and said, “For Darla.”
“That’s us, kid,” Royce said to their still-sleeping daughter. The chatter and activity in the busy pediatrician’s office hadn’t fazed her one bit. He stood up, and a rogue cashew nut fell to the floor.
Sawyer shook his head and picked it up off the carpet, dropping it in the trash can at the front of the room. Royce had eaten two single-serve packets of nuts and one of the apple cinnamon oatmeal bars. Then he’d gotten thirsty and downed a bottle and a half of water, all in the twenty minutes they’d had to wait to be seen. Sawyer made a mental note to pack more snacks and drinks next time.
“Hi, I’m Lily.” The nurse smiled down at Darla. “She’s so precious.”
Lily fussed and cooed as she took some measurements. Their daughter only opened her eyes when the nurse removed her clothes to put her on the scale. She fussed in protest at the handling and lack of warmth.
“You can redress her now,” Lily told them. “Her outfit is so cute.”
“Thank you,” Sawyer said.
They usually put her in comfy sleepers, but Sawyer dressed her in one of the adorable outfits they received at their baby shower. Tara and Candi had bought the ivory corduroy pants, long-sleeved onesie, and knitted sweater that Darla wore. The outfit came with a matching stretchy headband with a daisy affixed on top. The colors looked amazing with her brown skin and black hair.
“You’re welcome,” Lily said. “Dr. Edwards won’t be long.”
Sawyer worked to redress her quickly, and Darla went right back to sleep once she was snug in her three-piece outfit.
“Have you ever seen a baby more beautiful than ours?” Royce asked.
“No, but I bet every parent feels the same way.”
Royce slipped his arm around Sawyer’s lower back and said, “True, but we’re right.”
The exam room door swung open. Dr. Edwards entered the room and smiled down at the sleeping baby. “Good morning, dads. How’s Miss Darla Grace doing?”
“Great,” Sawyer said. “She’s taking her bottles like a champ now.”
“How many ounces is she drinking?” Dr. Edwards asked as she began her examination.
“Two and a half most feedings, but she’s steadily climbing toward three,” Sawyer replied.
“Plenty of wet diapers?”
“Oh yeah,” Royce said. “Poops too.”
Dr. Edwards smiled down at Darla, who’d just opened her eyes to see who was moving her legs and hips around. “That’s what we want to hear.” She carefully placed Darla on her stomach and turned her head until her cheek rested against the exam table. Their darling lifted her head just a little and mean-mugged the good doctor, who laughed. “This is what we want tosee.” She smiled at them. “Not the mad expressions so much as Darla building neck strength. Tummy time is crucial right from the jump. A lot of newborns don’t like it unless they’re lying on a parent’s chest, which is fine with me. At least thirty minutes a day, but it doesn’t have to be consecutive right now. And never leave them on their tummy unsupervised.”