The Nest

The Perrot's were leaving the hospital premises. 

This time not as just husband and wife, they were taking their newborn son home.

Officially, they had just become a family unit.

Dave was overjoyed and had been placing phone calls to both their families- his parents and brothers, Cathy's mother and her brothers.

He posted pictures on Social media to their immediate family members and instantly changed his status on Whatsapp and Facebook.

He placed calls to his friends at work and his supervisor at the Autozone workshop with the good news of their baby's arrival.

He was now a father! He looked with pride at his wife as he carried his newborn son in the specially prepared infant car seat.

Their baby was warmly wrapped and lay snuggled in the car seat.

It was time to go home!

Cathy was happy, her face was slightly puffy, her feet still swollen from pregnancy but the joy on her face was from within her essence and radiated outwards.

He had seen her happy and radiant like this during their honeymoon in Hawaii.

Now, she was a new mother and he adored her for giving him this child.

The nurse wheeled Cathy to their car which Dave had brought to the hospital earlier that morning, as she stood up to enter their car, she looked back and saw a familiar figure standing at the entrance to the hospital.

She was Karen Colby who had been her friend in need . She smiled and waved and Cathy waved back. Still waiting to wave one more time, after they had said goodbye and exchanged contact details .

Cathy promised to give her a call as soon as she settled at home.

Theirs was a new friendship forged in the most unlikely of circumstances and Cathy was grateful to have met such a wonderful person. An unlikely angel!

She stepped into the backseat of their car with a sense of joy and gratitude. She had been tense and fearful in the last few days before the newborn's arrival. And at last she was going home with their precious bundle of joy.

Dave placed the baby car seat with their newborn beside her and then entered the driver's seat to make the short trip home.

Dave's chest swelled with pride during the drive home. He was now a father.

His son was an embodiment of future hopes and dreams.

He was already looking forward to the time he would teach him to play baseball and to ride his first bicycle.

But first things first, and there was a lot of growing to do.

He wanted to be a good parent- just as his own father was.

Dave was raised on a ranch in a large family, he enjoyed his childhood and still missed the ranch sometimes . He decided to go into engineering as he became fascinated with vehicles while growing up and became an Automotive Engineer.

He planned to do this right- to mark each developmental milestone- his first baby steps, his first words and sentences

Soon, he'll be called - Da da and then "Dad ", by his son.

He smiled and thought to himself "Dad"- the word itself was delicious and now seemed too good to be true.

He drove expertly and carefully, there was little traffic as it was past peak period.

They soon reached their flat.

"Hurray! We are home"- He quipped

Cathy gave a warm smile. He opened the backdoor to help her out of the car and unlocked the front door of their flat. Going back to the car, he brought out the baby car seat, but Cathy touched his arm. 'I'll carry him'- she said.

'No, darling' Dave replied- "I'm his father, and I'll carry him ." He brought the baby car seat out from the rear with their son sleeping soundly and entered the house.

"You still need some rest and sleep after having our baby". Dave said to her

Cathy felt brushed aside,but bit her lip.

Today is a happy day, I'll not allow anything or anyone to spoil it .

They chose the name Christopher, it was the name Cathy and Dave settled on before he was born.

Christopher was taken to the nursery and settled in his very own blue baby cot.

The nursery was like a wonderland- with vibrant blue and white wallpaper and the cartoon character stickers arrayed on the walls - Donald duck, Mickey mouse and Minnie, Tom and Jerry among others . They'd spared no expense in preparing the nursery.

Cathy decided to stay awhile and enjoy the moment. Dave went back to the car and brought in the hand luggage she took to the hospital and busied himself with unpacking the bags.

Christopher gave a small cry.

Cathy got up and walked to the infant cot , lifting him out and sat on the plush seat beside the cot ,she nestled him at her breast and was soon feeding him happily. Motherhood had begun.

Dave came in, seeing Cathy wear a pleased self-satisfied smile- the picture of bliss,waited patiently till the feed was over to bond with his son.

He lifted his tiny hand and was delighted to see the newborn fingers curl round his index finger, humming softly. Dave felt a sense of awe and responsibility. This tiny life was here to stay and depended on him.

Christopher opened his eyes and gazed into Dave's face. Dave felt the sense of recognition from his son. A wave of love washed over him and he determined to protect his family. He was glad he had created a haven in his home where his newborn son would be sheltered.

After putting the baby to bed that night they had dinner and settled to bed. It was an eventful day. A few neighbors had come earlier to visit and congratulate the happy family. They placed the baby monitor on their bedside table.

They had drifted off to sleep when the baby alarm went off. Both jumped out of bed and ran to the nursery.

They heard their son crying and Cathy sat down to feed him. After the feed , Dave held him and rocked him gently, but baby didn't go back to sleep as expected.

Dave remembered that Christopher had slept through most of the day and ended up taking turns with Cathy to rock him to sleep.

It didn't work- their newborn had other ideas.

As soon as he seemingly drifted off to sleep, Cathy would place him in his cot. Shortly after, baby would open his little eyes and wail again.

Dave had learned to change nappies during the prenatal sessions and had read books on parenting, but that night, nothing he had read prepared him for what he experienced firsthand.

The baby was changed twice and fed twice within the space of two hours and by now, Dave was beginning to feel fatigued. It was one o'clock in the morning. Cathy was worried and tearful.

"Please, take him to the hospital, maybe something is wrong with him.' She cried

"No, everything seems fine to me" Dave replied

"Then why is he still crying? He ought to be sleeping soundly !"

"I'll call the doctor ".

Dave put a frantic call to Dr Ross who told him that it was usual for newborn babies to cry during the night and sleep during the day. He asked Dave a few questions about the baby, the feeds and diaper changes.

He reassured Dave and told them to rock their newborn to sleep and play some soft music.

Wearily, they took turns holding and rocking the baby who finally went to sleep at three thirty in the morning.

They went to their bedroom and collapsed on the bed exhausted.

"I'm glad I requested paternity leave"- Dave thought the next morning as he woke up groggily.

He had been given two weeks leave from the Autozone workshop.

He went to the bathroom to wash his face and then headed to the kitchen for a cup of Coffee.

Cathy was still sleeping but turned in the bed.

Then her mind went to the baby and she woke up with a start.

"Hello darling, I'm going to the nursery", she said as she saw him sipping his morning coffee.

That was it?, no warm hug or morning kiss as usual.

"Hello dear", Dave replied and rose to give her a hug.

They shared a hug but he could tell Cathy was absentminded and now focused of getting to the nursery- to their baby.

Dave tried not to think of the long road ahead- if the events of last night were just the beginning.