Wills picked up our son and came to me. “Shove over, babe.” He sat beside me on the bed
I peered at the little face beneath the blue and white cap that covered his head. “He’s so little!”
“He’s actually a big boy,” the nurse said. “He’s nine pounds.” She made sure Wills wasn’t going to drop the baby, and then nodded and draped a cloth over his shoulder. “I’ll leave you to get acquainted with Teodore.”
“Thanks.” Wills smiled at her. “Get the bottle, Theo. I’ll show you how it’s done, and then you can feed him.”
“Me?” I cleared my throat and handed him the bottle. “Me? Uh…rain check?”
“Sure.” He brushed the nipple back and forth over our son’s lips. Teodore seemed to search frantically for it, and then he latched on and began to suck. Wills rocked him gently, smiling down at him, and I felt tears well in my eyes.
“Our little boy.”
“Yeah.” Wills looked up at me, and there were tears in his eyes as well. “Before I forget, Samantha is doing well.”
I felt bad. I hadn’t given a thought to the woman who had given us this precious bundle. “Has she seen the baby?”
“No, she prefers not to. We’ll go home on Wednesday, and then on Thursday, I’ll take her to her place and make sure she’s settled in okay. Oh, the doctor wants to know if we want Teodore circumcised.”
“Does he have to be?”
“I was, you’re not…we can go either route.”
I moved aside the blanket Teodore was wrapped in, eased my thumb into his diaper, and tugged it forward gently, avoiding the plastic clip that was on what was left of his umbilical cord—was he going to have an innie or an outie?—but I couldn’t see his little penis.
Wills laughed. “Careful, babe. You don’t want to get a shower.”
“Huh? Oh!” And I laughed myself. “Can I see him?”
“Sure. Just let me finish feeding him.” He eased the baby onto the shoulder that was covered with the cloth and began to rub circles on his back. “Oops.”
A huge burp erupted from the little body, and I couldn’t help laughing again.
He brought the baby back into the crook of his arm and used the cloth to wipe Teodore’s rosebud lips.
“He’s got blue eyes! Did they give us the wrong baby? Did they give us the wrong embryo?”
“No.” He leaned against me and kissed the corner of my mouth. “His eyes will change.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to fall in love with him if we have to give him back.”
“He’s ours, Theo. No one gets him but us.” He placed the baby on the bed and opened the blanket. Teodore gave a little jerk, and then waved his arms and legs.
I took his tiny foot in my hand—it was smaller than my thumb—and marveled at his toes with their perfect little toenails.
His face suddenly turned red, and he grunted, and Wills chuckled. “Just keep an eye on him for a minute, okay?”
“Where are you going?”
“Right here.” He went to the bassinette and took a disposable diaper and some wipes from the storage beneath it. Of course he’d know how to do stuff like burp a baby and change a dirty diaper. He’d done that for Marti.
He undid the tabs that secured the diaper, and when I saw what was in it, I felt a little sick. “Wills….”
“Yeah, babe?”
“I…I can’t do this. I’m gonna be a horrible dad.”
“No.” With easy, competent moves, he cleaned our son and replaced the diaper. “You’ll do fine. Just give it some time.”
Teodore’s hand was wide open, and I stroked his palm the way I would do Miss Su’s chin. His tiny fingers closed around my forefinger.
“Wills? He’s…he’s holding onto me.”
“Of course he is. I am too. Teodore and I will never let you go. Come on, Teddy Bear. Time for you to go to sleep.” He wrapped the baby in his blanket and rocked him gently, and as our son’s eyes drifted closed, Wills began to sing softly of a Poppa—me—and a Daddy—him—taking our tired little Teddy Bear home to bed.
“Can I…can I hold him?”
“He’s your son too.” Wills placed him in my arms. I knew Teddy Bear weighed nine pounds—the nurse had said so—but it was almost as if he were weightless.
“So I’m Poppa Bear and you’re Daddy Bear?” I looked down on our baby. “I guess that makes you Baby Bear.”
Wills put his arm around my shoulder and held me and our son close to his body. “Our family.”
“Yes.” Our family, and it was perfect.