Sleepovers were always fun when you were very nearly six years old. They weren't quite so much fun when you were two, but if you share them with your big sister, they're all right. But nothing compares with going home ....or in this case, Daddy coming to pick you up and take you both to the hospital to see Mummy and the new baby. Lyneth squeezed Dylan's hand cheerfully.
"....and then Daddy woke me up, and you was there, Dyl!" she finished regaling her little brother with the story of his birth. "Only Mummy didn't want to go squit on the floor this time, so that's why she's here."
Des bit back a laugh at Lyneth's retelling of the story of her little brother's birth. It was difficult to appear stern when he was feeling amused, rather than annoyed. "I don't think he really needs to hear about that part, Lynnie," he remarked, knowing Piper would be mortified to hear her daughter describing Dylan's birth in such vivid terms.
"At least she was at home," Lyneth protested, grinning at her little brother. "When I was borned, Mummy was in the market and she didn't have time to go home!"
Dylan gasped in shock, clinging to both their hands as they moved toward the antenatal ward together. "Baby in a bag?" he asked, big eyes wide.
The mention of Lyneth's birth brought a small frown to Desmond's face. He hadn't witnessed that particular event because at the time he hadn't even known Rhy'Din existed. Every little reminder that he wasn't really Lyneth's birth father made his heart ache. Despite that, he was a father to her in every other way that really counted, and yet, every reminder that he wasn't her father by blood pricked at him a little. "It's better this way. Safer," Desmond remarked, more to himself than to his children, adopted and otherwise.
"They didn't put me in a bag, silly," Lyneth beamed at her little brother. "But that would of been funny! Daddy, can we put this baby in a bag?" She lifted her bright, turquoise eyes to Des, full of hope to be able to do something utterly ridiculous to her new little sister.
"I don't think the baby would like that," he replied, trying not to take Lyneth's question too seriously, but one could never tell with her sometimes. "But we could put you in a bag!" he countered, reaching down to tweak her nose. "I'll put you both in a bag and carry you around on my back like Santa Claus. How about that?" he teased.
"Yeah!" Lyneth was only too happy to agree to this, giggling as Dylan jumped up and down between them excitedly. "And put Dyl inna stockin' on Chris'mas Steve with a big ribbon on his head!"
Desmond had to chuckle at the ridiculousness of that. There was a comedian in every family - or almost every family - and Lyneth was definitely theirs. "Okay, okay, before you both get too carried away, we have to use our indoor voices because there are babies and mommys trying to sleep. Let's all see if we can be as quiet as mice, okay?" he said, touching a finger to his lips with a hushed, "Shhh."
"Oooh." Dylan's eyes went wide at the thought of that, although he[ wasn't the problem. "Lots an' lots?" he asked hopefully.
Next to him, Lyneth had clapped a hand over her mouth, even though she was bursting to keep talking at her usual volume. She knew better than to push her luck, especially when it wasn't just her family she was prodding.
It wasn't so hard to be as quiet as a mouse, when their father was joining in the fun. He crept along on tippy toes, hand-in-hand with Lyneth on one side of him and Dylan on the other as they moved past room after room, until they finally reached the one where their mother was resting with their new baby sister. Glancing from one child to the other, he reminded them with another, "Shhh," before knocking quietly on the door to announce their arrival and peek his head inside.
"Mu- mmm!" Lyneth slapped her hand over her own mouth again. To her credit, she was trying to be quiet, and for someone as natural exuberant as she was, it was a big ask.
Dylan didn't bother waiting to see if he could go in - the door was open enough to Des to peek through, and he could fit through that gap. So the toddler abandoned his father's hand to push into the room and accelerate across to bounce off the bed to the tune of Piper's soft laughter.
"I could have sworn I didn't say come in," she said cheerfully, leaning down to haul the small boy up onto the bed with her. "Shall we let the others in?"
The little boy nodded excitedly. "C'mon!"
Now that they were in Piper's room, they didn't need to be as quiet as they had been in the hallway, but Desmond found it amusing to see just how long the children could remain quiet. "After you," he told Lyneth with a grin, as he pushed the door open for her.
Still holding her mouth shut, Lyneth scuttled into the room, scrambling up awkwardly onto the bed to pounce Piper and Dylan. Only Des saw the wince as Lynnie's knee hit a sore spot; Piper was a past master at hiding physical pain from their children by now.
"Easy, guys. Mummy just had a baby," Des reminded them both, knowing how much they had missed her and wanted their hugs and snuggles. As for himself, he let the door close behind him and strode over to peek on the newest addition to the family, currently sleeping peacefully in a bassinet nearby.
"Ooh ..." Lyneth pulled back quickly, inadvertently planting her knee in the same place as she did so. Piper laughed helplessly - it was that or cry, and she refused to cry in front of her kids.
"Did it hurt lots, Mummy?" Piper smiled, stroking her hand against Lyneth's cheek as she cuddled Dylan. "It hurts when the baby comes out," she said gently. "But not for very long. But it does take a long time for me to heal up, so I'm going to be sore and tired for a long time."
Desmond had missed Lyneth's infancy, and though he'd been there for Dylan's, there was something about having a baby girl that made him feel all warm and gooey inside. As he peeked down at their new daughter, he thought she was probably as close as she could come to an angel. "How long has she been sleeping?" he asked, not wanting to disturb her just yet.
"About two hours," Piper assured him, her smile bright as she settled the older pair in her arms. It didn't surprise her that Dylan was silent for his cuddles, nor that he was eyeing the bassinet like a bomb about to go off. This was his first experience of not being the baby anymore, after all. "She'll wake up pretty soon, I think. Might as well get your cuddle in quick."
Lyneth giggled next to her. "Is she pretty?"
"Why don't you come and take a look?" Desmond suggested, though he was already reaching into the bassinet to carefully pick the newborn up and cradle her in his arms. By now, he was an expert at this, careful not to wake her, but only cuddle her close.
"....and then Daddy woke me up, and you was there, Dyl!" she finished regaling her little brother with the story of his birth. "Only Mummy didn't want to go squit on the floor this time, so that's why she's here."
Des bit back a laugh at Lyneth's retelling of the story of her little brother's birth. It was difficult to appear stern when he was feeling amused, rather than annoyed. "I don't think he really needs to hear about that part, Lynnie," he remarked, knowing Piper would be mortified to hear her daughter describing Dylan's birth in such vivid terms.
"At least she was at home," Lyneth protested, grinning at her little brother. "When I was borned, Mummy was in the market and she didn't have time to go home!"
Dylan gasped in shock, clinging to both their hands as they moved toward the antenatal ward together. "Baby in a bag?" he asked, big eyes wide.
The mention of Lyneth's birth brought a small frown to Desmond's face. He hadn't witnessed that particular event because at the time he hadn't even known Rhy'Din existed. Every little reminder that he wasn't really Lyneth's birth father made his heart ache. Despite that, he was a father to her in every other way that really counted, and yet, every reminder that he wasn't her father by blood pricked at him a little. "It's better this way. Safer," Desmond remarked, more to himself than to his children, adopted and otherwise.
"They didn't put me in a bag, silly," Lyneth beamed at her little brother. "But that would of been funny! Daddy, can we put this baby in a bag?" She lifted her bright, turquoise eyes to Des, full of hope to be able to do something utterly ridiculous to her new little sister.
"I don't think the baby would like that," he replied, trying not to take Lyneth's question too seriously, but one could never tell with her sometimes. "But we could put you in a bag!" he countered, reaching down to tweak her nose. "I'll put you both in a bag and carry you around on my back like Santa Claus. How about that?" he teased.
"Yeah!" Lyneth was only too happy to agree to this, giggling as Dylan jumped up and down between them excitedly. "And put Dyl inna stockin' on Chris'mas Steve with a big ribbon on his head!"
Desmond had to chuckle at the ridiculousness of that. There was a comedian in every family - or almost every family - and Lyneth was definitely theirs. "Okay, okay, before you both get too carried away, we have to use our indoor voices because there are babies and mommys trying to sleep. Let's all see if we can be as quiet as mice, okay?" he said, touching a finger to his lips with a hushed, "Shhh."
"Oooh." Dylan's eyes went wide at the thought of that, although he[ wasn't the problem. "Lots an' lots?" he asked hopefully.
Next to him, Lyneth had clapped a hand over her mouth, even though she was bursting to keep talking at her usual volume. She knew better than to push her luck, especially when it wasn't just her family she was prodding.
It wasn't so hard to be as quiet as a mouse, when their father was joining in the fun. He crept along on tippy toes, hand-in-hand with Lyneth on one side of him and Dylan on the other as they moved past room after room, until they finally reached the one where their mother was resting with their new baby sister. Glancing from one child to the other, he reminded them with another, "Shhh," before knocking quietly on the door to announce their arrival and peek his head inside.
"Mu- mmm!" Lyneth slapped her hand over her own mouth again. To her credit, she was trying to be quiet, and for someone as natural exuberant as she was, it was a big ask.
Dylan didn't bother waiting to see if he could go in - the door was open enough to Des to peek through, and he could fit through that gap. So the toddler abandoned his father's hand to push into the room and accelerate across to bounce off the bed to the tune of Piper's soft laughter.
"I could have sworn I didn't say come in," she said cheerfully, leaning down to haul the small boy up onto the bed with her. "Shall we let the others in?"
The little boy nodded excitedly. "C'mon!"
Now that they were in Piper's room, they didn't need to be as quiet as they had been in the hallway, but Desmond found it amusing to see just how long the children could remain quiet. "After you," he told Lyneth with a grin, as he pushed the door open for her.
Still holding her mouth shut, Lyneth scuttled into the room, scrambling up awkwardly onto the bed to pounce Piper and Dylan. Only Des saw the wince as Lynnie's knee hit a sore spot; Piper was a past master at hiding physical pain from their children by now.
"Easy, guys. Mummy just had a baby," Des reminded them both, knowing how much they had missed her and wanted their hugs and snuggles. As for himself, he let the door close behind him and strode over to peek on the newest addition to the family, currently sleeping peacefully in a bassinet nearby.
"Ooh ..." Lyneth pulled back quickly, inadvertently planting her knee in the same place as she did so. Piper laughed helplessly - it was that or cry, and she refused to cry in front of her kids.
"Did it hurt lots, Mummy?" Piper smiled, stroking her hand against Lyneth's cheek as she cuddled Dylan. "It hurts when the baby comes out," she said gently. "But not for very long. But it does take a long time for me to heal up, so I'm going to be sore and tired for a long time."
Desmond had missed Lyneth's infancy, and though he'd been there for Dylan's, there was something about having a baby girl that made him feel all warm and gooey inside. As he peeked down at their new daughter, he thought she was probably as close as she could come to an angel. "How long has she been sleeping?" he asked, not wanting to disturb her just yet.
"About two hours," Piper assured him, her smile bright as she settled the older pair in her arms. It didn't surprise her that Dylan was silent for his cuddles, nor that he was eyeing the bassinet like a bomb about to go off. This was his first experience of not being the baby anymore, after all. "She'll wake up pretty soon, I think. Might as well get your cuddle in quick."
Lyneth giggled next to her. "Is she pretty?"
"Why don't you come and take a look?" Desmond suggested, though he was already reaching into the bassinet to carefully pick the newborn up and cradle her in his arms. By now, he was an expert at this, careful not to wake her, but only cuddle her close.